Desolation

Desolation

by Yasmina Reza

Penguin $84

For some reason, bitter books like this one - and Desolation is as morose as the last guy in the bar still drinking when the lights come on - can be uplifting.

Maybe it's because French author Yasmina Reza has the guts to bluntly state the fears that most people suppress. She writes about ageing, death, loneliness and disappointment in a way that's mischievously funny.

It's only 136 pages long, with large, well-spaced print, but Reza crams in a lot of questions.