Undermajordomo Minor

Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick deWitt, 317 pages

Lucy (short for Lucien) Minor is an aimless young man seeking adventure when the position of undermajordomo becomes available at a rundown castle a few towns over. Lucy takes the job and finds himself in a world of mystery, complete with a war without a point, a Very Big Hole, a beguiling village girl, two of the kindest pickpockets ever, and a truly unorthodox method of sending mail. Through it all runs a thread of dry humor that makes this a fantastically fun read. The odd and endearing characters, the peculiar word choices, the starkly described zany situations make this seem like a prime candidate for a Wes Anderson film adaptation. A lot of fun, and a quick read too.

(P.S. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but this cover is awesome. It follows in the footsteps of deWitt's Sisters Brothers, a great western novel whose excellent cover design is what prompted me to pick it up in the first place. Props to the graphic designers who created the awesome covers for these awesome books!)