Very character-driven story of five half-siblings who start to become family after a strange incident. ( )

Cyril Pennington, Jamaican born but living in London, has five children (with four different mothers). Unfortunately

'Cyril saw himself as more of a people person than a father. Sadly for his children this didn't extend to the five of them in a way that was mutually beneficial.'

The children know of each other's existence, they even spent an afternoon in each other's company once, as teenagers, when Cyril picked them up in his gold jeep, his pride and joy, to take them on an unsuccessful outing to the park. But years have gone past without the siblings giving each other a second thought, despite living in the same part of London. Until that is, Cyril's third child Dimple has a problem, a very big problem, and decides to phone her eldest half-sister Nikisha for help. Dimple's unpleasant boyfriend Kyron has hit his head after slipping on some olive oil in Dimple's kitchen and now seems to be very dead indeed. So the siblings are gathered together in an attempt to bury the body before Dimple can be accused of murder ....

And this is where I started to have a problem with this book. Up until that point none of the half-siblings have shown any interest in each other at all. They haven't met since that one meeting fifteen years previously. They know nothing whatsoever about Dimple - for all they know she could be in the habit of murdering boyfriends in her kitchen. And yet they're all totally happy to drive about London looking for somewhere to bury the body. I don't think so. And Dimple herself, a thirty year old wannabe (but very unsuccessful) influencer who never seems to have had a proper job in her life is such an ineffectual and inadequate main character. If she was twenty rather than thirty I might possibly have been more sympathetic, but she's effectively an overgrown spoilt teenager. The lives of the other siblings, and their mothers as well, seem to have more back history that could be explored, but it's only mentioned very briefly.

So I didn't like this book. According to the blurb, it's 'hilarious'. I don't think I even smiled once. ( )

When I was young I spent a few months in Jamaica working on building a camp for Jamaican youth. In addition to us white kids from Canada there were a number of Jamaicans working on the project. I grew to love the accent and, for me, the best part of this audiobook was hearing that accent again.

Cyril Pennington grew up in Jamaica but moved to England as a young boy to join his mother who had gone to work in London when Cyril was an infant. Maybe that youthful experience of having no family roots caused him to pay little attention to the five children he fathered with four different women. His children were well looked after by their mothers so they, at least, had one important parental figure. Cyril might pop up from time to time but he was more likely looking for a "loan" than for any time with his offspring. On just one occasion he gathered up all his kids, Nikisha, Danny, Dimple, Lizzie and Prynce, and took them to a park and bought them ice cream. Nikisha, the oldest, told Dimple at that time that if she ever needed anything she should call. So, when Dimple's boyfriend, Kyron, slips in the kitchen of Dimple's house during a fight with Dimple and knocks himself out, Dimple, thinking Kyron is dead, calls Nikisha who calls all the rest of the siblings. Together, they clean and cart Kyron away only to have him come to life in the back of Danny's van just as they are getting ready to bury his body at a building site. And then, Kyron manages to get away and the siblings lose him. When he eventually shows up he wants 250,000 pounds from Dimple who has no hope of getting that much. Just at this time, Cyril pops back into their lives because his mother is dying and she wants to see her son's offspring. Some of the children remember their Granny but, Dimple for example, does not remember seeing her before but, apparently, Cyril brought her there when she was very young. Granny never approved of how Cyril treated his children so when her will is read Cyril is cut out and his one-quarter share of her estate, which is substantial, goes to his offspring to share.Cyril tries to convince them to give their shares to him but they all refuse. Natisha proposes and the rest accept that this is how Kyron will be paid off. Kyron, who is blackmailing Dimple with a pornographic picture, doesn't deserve the money any more than Cyril does but Dimple really wants to have him out of her life. Will this do it? And what will Cyril try to get money? I couldn't worry all that much about them but I did like the Pennington family bonds that form throughout this book.

The title comes from how Cyril describes himself. I'd call him a manipulative sociopath but I can see how he would charm people for a short while. ( )

Grossartig! ( )

bailed @ 20%