The Swifts

Although this book looks huge, the pages are thick and the font quite large, so it’s easy to race through this exciting story.  Members of the Swift family has always been given names from The Dictionary, and are expected to behave as their names suggest, so Shenanigan Swift was always expected to be troublesome, and, although she means well, things do have a tendency to go wrong when she’s around. With her sisters, Felicity (a lovely young lady) and Phenomena, a budding scientist, former sailor Uncle Maelstrom, and the formidable Aunt Schadenfreude (this name is explained) they lead a pleasant enough life until the arrival of Aunt Inheritance, the Archivist of the family, who calls for a Swift Family Reunion, something which can happen only every decade.

Many Swift family members descend, and mayhem ensues, especially as many of them are trying to search for the lost family Hoard, for selfish reasons. When Aunt Schadenfreude is found in a crumpled heap at the bottom of stairs, accusations fly around, and the detective, Gumshoe Swift, is no help at all, but describes his actions in the style of Raymond Chandler. Shenanigan and Phenomena, who enjoy acting out murder situations and solving them, decide to take action, using Phenomena’s Junior Forensics Kit. Eventually a cousin, neither a boy nor a girl, who wears interesting jumpers but doesn’t like their name and wants to be called Erf, becomes an ally. Shenanigan is very good at spotting lies: ‘A lie is a mischievous thing with a life of its own, and no matter how hard you try to keep it hidden, it will surface on your face, or through your hands, or in the way you shift from one leg to another’: that skill proves useful. The names, and Candour’s awful puns, provide much amusement, and generally there is a lot of fun with language. Some words are explained, rather like in the Lemony Snicket books, e.g. ‘they were quibbling, (a good word that means arguing over something small and silly)’ and for a child who enjoys language, this book will be hugely enjoyable. There is even a bit of French from the over-dramatic Monsieur Pamplemousse, who is one of many larger- than- life characters.

One theme that emerges is that of being who you want to be: the identical twins Flora and Fauna, who had copied even rips and stains in each other’s clothing, have, by the end of the story, decided to be different, Erf has their own choice of name accepted, and Shenanigan learns that she doesn’t have to be chaotic.

The enjoyment of this book is enhanced by Claire Powell’s amazing illustrations of angular people -slightly reminiscent of the style of Ronald Searle’s St Trinian’s characters, but much more stylish.

Although the reader does want to find out what happens in this immersive world, it is a pity when it’s over…