(From the author of the highly acclaimed novel, The Light of Falling Stars, comes the sad and hilarious story of a family tyrannized by a newspaper comic strip.

"You don't have to read the daily comics page to appreciate The Funnies...Lennon's delicate, moving, and yes, funny novel is about what happens after Carl Mix, creator of a popular comic strip, dies. His grown children and widow, long the unwilling subjects of the strip, vent their grief and relief. The story is narrated by one of Carl's sons, Tim, the recipient of a bittersweet joke from the grave: His father's will stipulates that Tim can benefit from the strip's profits only if he abandons his career as an avant-garde artist and takes over the drawing of the strip himself. Tim's tussle-with art, with his own conscience-gives the story heart."-Entertainment Weekly

"A wonderful novel combining an insider's look at the world of cartoons with the mysteries of family dynamics...Lennon displays such talent for creating interesting characters that each of the Mix children merits a book of his or her own. That talent, plus an entertaining and surprisingly informative plot, makes this one of those rare novels one wishes were longer."-Library Journal (starred review)

"A cause for rejoicing...Lennon has infused new vigor into that hoariest of stories, the healing of a dysfunctional family....The author's reserve of charming, throwaway turns of phrase-fresh without reaching, funny without stooping-seems inexhaustible."-San Francisco Chronicle

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