A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

Marina Lewycka

After two books about child abuse A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian was a welcome distraction. It's the story of two feuding sisters who are forced into an alliance when their dotty 82-year-old father announces he is to remarry. His bride is less than half his age and will be imported from Ukraine. Plainly she is only after his money or his passport or both, and his daughters agree it's a match that needs to be prevented at all costs.

Be reassured that there is very little about tractors in this novel and none of it is in Ukrainian. Neither is the book particularly short. Which is just as well since it's enjoyable, witty and, well, just a lot more fun than most of my other reads this year.