Family ties and tangles

Various Pets Alive And Dead Author: Marina Lewycka Publisher: Fig Tree/Penguin, 367 pages

IN her debut novel, A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian, Marina Lewycka explored the themes of human fraility, strength, emotions and desires, and the value of family. Her protagonist and narrator of that novel is a middle aged woman looking after her aged father, a man who lived in a period before and during World War II when – despite the hardships – life was more straightforward and simpler. Into this mix is added the narrator’s sister who is determined that her father’s current “girlfriend” will not replace their mother.