Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe

This book was apparently written years ago by the author as a semi-fictional account of the author’s childhood, and if that is the case, it describes a resilient if slightly dysfunctional family.  She and her sister set about trying to right their mother’s ship after their father leaves her for another man.  Worse yet, he moves them to a small English town with almost nothing going on.  On the up side, it gives the daughters a lot of time to think about the next step for their mother.  On the down side, they decide that she needs a man, and unfortunately, there are very few candidates in their new location.  The book then goes on to chronicle what happens next, which includes a few affairs, the overuse of pills and alcohol, and a manipulative married man who magnifies the financial troubles they all find themselves in after their father’s company goes belly up.  It is not the destination but the journey that is so entertaining.  This light hearted handling of weighty subjects is well worth reading.