Savage Adoration — Gale Zoe Garnett

In a fun but wise way, this novel examines the advantages and pitfalls of fame, wealth, celebrity, female independence, the myth of safety, and the surreal nature of heritage pushing through upbringing. Johnny Major, a Sicilian-born magnate and creator of a network of restaurant-club-casinos across Europe and North America, dies and his will goes missing. Johnny's death then forces his beloved daughter Elissa -- a small-animal veterinarian in East Anglia -- to confront various ex-wives, her own fierce mother, twin half-siblings, duplicitous lawyers, and a village full of Sicilians, including her father's ghost and old women paid to scream at funerals. Her journey explores the sometimes funny, sometimes deadly serious qualities of life.