In what's essentially a postmodern graphic novel without pictures, Burns enjoys herself by playing with the conventions of superhero action stories as she explores some of the strange world of relationships between men and women. It sometimes feels like a joke stretched a little too far, as the camera pans away for a philosophical digression halfway through a cliffhanger scene, or as a succession of corpses pull their guns for one last shot in a Grand Guignol set piece awash with various colours of blood. But it's hard not to enjoy the audio version, with Burns's deadpan Northern Ireland intonations adding to the ironic quality of the bizarre storyline. I won't be able to stop thinking about "superpaws" for quite some time!

This novella was originally self-published online in 2014; Fabers reissued it commercially in 2019 to cash in on Burns's Booker win. ( )

Anna Burns does a Terry Pratchett ( )