Before she became best known for children’s fiction and Madame Doubtfire, Anne Fine wrote sharp, unsettling novels about adult disappointment, domestic strain and cruelty.

The Killjoy belongs to that darker, more acid strand of her work: psychologically alert, socially observant and quietly vicious in the best way. Fine is particularly good on resentment as a household weather system. Her characters often know exactly how decent they are meant to be, which only makes their evasions, manipulations and self-deceptions more interesting. This is domestic fiction with teeth: funny, bitter, precise and far less cosy than the author’s later reputation might suggest.

First UK edition. Hardback. Good condition.