The Wig My Father Wore

Anne Enright's debut novel, "The Wig My Father Wore," delves into the surreal and darkly comic world of Grace, a young TV producer whose life takes an extraordinary turn when she encounters Stephen, a self-proclaimed angel who arrives at her door. Stephen, a former bridge-builder who committed suicide in Canada, now manifests in Grace's shower, literally hanging by his neck to think. Grace's initial bewilderment gives way to a profound and unconventional intimacy, blurring the lines between the spiritual and the physical. Concurrently, her professional life spirals into absurdity as she navigates a bizarre 'Love Quiz' show. Overlaying these chaotic elements is the presence of her father, a benign, bewigged figure grappling with the aftermath of a stroke, whose apparent madness might conceal a deeper sanity. As these disparate realities converge, Enright crafts a narrative rich in 'reckless intelligence' and 'savage humour,' chronicling Grace's journey from cynicism to a newfound, albeit disquieting, innocence amidst a thundering climax of contradictions.