![]() Lucy departs the stifling village of Bury for Castle Von Aux, where he is to become the subordinate of the baron’s majordomo. In the same way, Undermajordomo Minor is a picaresque, but also a sly send-up of a picaresque. One of the book’s many strokes of brilliance is its ability to exist on both sides of its genre constraints, both within them and outside of them with a skeptical eyebrow cocked. The latter, a sharp and fizzy western, was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker and should have won-I don’t know if I’ve read a better novel since. So it was with some wariness that I approached Patrick deWitt’s new novel, Undermajordomo Minor, a fairy tale of sorts that follows young Lucien “Lucy” Minor as he seeks his destiny.ĭeWitt is the author of two previous novels, Ablutions and The Sisters Brothers. It has been done from every angle: straightforward, post-modern, and (yawn) from the villain’s perspective. The last thing the world needs is another reimagining of the fairy tale. ![]()
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