Book review: Revelling in brilliant absurdity

Madeline Cashis no stranger to writing a good story and her book is attracting the kind of buzz any first-time novelist dreams of.

• Lost Lambs 
• Madeline Cash 
• Doubleday, €16.99

Lost Lambs is Madeline Cash’s debut novel. Cash is the co-founder of literary and art publication Forever Magazine, and her own writing work has appeared in several literary publications. 

She is no stranger to writing a good story and her book is attracting the kind of buzz any first-time novelist dreams of.

Lost Lambs is what Cash calls an “absurdist systems novel”.

It’s a family saga combined with a mystery, with different narratives, a wide cast of characters, and a plot that feels small and big at the same time, examining society, politics, and small-town life.

It’s packed with feelings, relationships, intrigue, and commentary. It’s a rich and abundant novel.

The book’s focus is the Flynn family: Mother Catherine and husband Bud, with their three daughters Abigail, Louise, and Harper.

Catherine and Bud are embarking on an “open marriage” arrangement, a decision led by Catherine. With the parents distracted by their own feelings — in Catherine’s case, wanting to feel desired, and in Bud’s, rejection, rage, and jealousy — the three girls are all but left to fend for themselves, and they each go through their own increasingly absurd experiences.

Head-turning Abigail sashays through life, but a new relationship with Wes — nicknamed ‘War Crimes Wes’ — sees her stepping into a surreal world of billionaires indulging in nefarious activities.

Over-looked, middle child Louise just wants to be noticed. Her quest for attention makes her ripe for recruitment by a sinister actor in a dodgy internet chat room.

Harper, the high IQ youngest child, uncovers a dangerous secret at the local port authority, where her father Bud works.

A central location for the various storylines is the local church where Father Andrew takes an active interest in the salvation of the Flynn family.

It’s the setting for Bud’s self-help group — Lost Lambs — which is run by Miss Winkle, who becomes quite the twinkle in Bud’s eye.

It’s also the setting for the Miss Our Lady of Suffering pageant, which Louise has entered in an effort to be noticed for something, anything.

As for the Flynn parents. Their dysfunctional relationship and how they deal — or rather, don’t deal with it — is a trigger point for the situations the girls find themselves in.

Catherine, completely caught up in her quest to feel desired, is an absent observer in the house — while Bud’s jealousy and self-pity clouds his judgement when it comes to his daughters.

Cash uses neat wordplay throughout the book. Her particular wordplay is wacky but also incredibly effective.

It reflects a buzzing situation that evolves throughout the book — at the beginning, it’s awkward and kind of annoying, but as you read on you become less and less aware of it. 

There is also an intense wittiness and deadpan delivery throughout the story.

Almost every quote from the beaten-down Bud made me laugh out loud while reading.

I love absurd stories and situations, and this book doesn’t disappoint: Terrorist plots, human trafficking, corporate espionage, rich white men on a quest for mortality, it’s all here.

Arguably, and amazingly, these are but sub-plots in what is essentially a story about a fragile family.

Each daughter faces a defining moment, and yes, these moments seem far-fetched — although a casual observer of the news these days may disagree — but it’s how they handle the situations that’s at the crux of the novel.

In Lost Lambs, Cash deals with shocking and intense situations, but they never feel heavy.

Anyone who enjoys quirky stories with flawed but lovable characters and a good deal of heart will lap up this debut novel.