Hope: A Tragedy by by Shalom Auslander

I enjoyed this novel which is a very unusual darkly comic book about a small American family who move into a rural farmhouse and discover an old lady hiding in the attic who claims she is Anne Frank.  Whilst this sounds like something I would usually cackle at in scorn, it is surprisingly easy to accept.  I think this is partly because the book's comic framework allows for a more forgiving artistic licence.   It is also a very unpretentious book - the writing is good but generally unobtrusive – so it is this ambitious plot which makes this book such an interesting read. 

As well as dealing with Anne Frank, the main character, Solomon, grapples with his own demons apparently the result of his mother's amusingly portrayed bitter self-obsession.  This gives the book an interesting psychological subtext, but the light comic touches deliver this without undue depression.  So overall an enjoyable if dark comedy about family and its impact on one's personality.