How the Dead Dream, By Lydia Millet

Lydia Millet is a writer drawn to oddballs and obsessives, but even when her characters verge on the cartoonish, they remain engaging.

Her latest hero, “T”, is an only child in a typical middle-American family. What marks him out is his unusual relationship with money.

He’s so enamoured of dimes and quarters that he takes to holding them in his mouth – spewing them out like a human slot machine. In later life, his hording abilities lead to a career as a successful businessman.

But he finds himself unexpectedly drawn to animals – the more endangered the better. A dark and humorous satire.