This slim volume chronicling a DYI disaster of epic proportions would be a great gift for a procrastinating handyman. The novella The Fixer-Upper is an adaptation of Lorne Elliott’s play The Tourist Trap, and is heavily dialogue-based – a strength, as it turns out.

Bruno MacIntyre inherits a tumble-down cottage in Savage Bay, Prince Edward Island, and turns to his acerbic Aunt Tillie to help him find summer tenants, as he needs money to fix up the place. Aunt Tillie has her own agenda, and manages the hapless Bruno with a masterful hand. The dialogue is sharp, quick, and very, very funny.

So much of the chaos results from Bruno’s procrastination and from his ignorance of what makes a building stay up, that the reader isn’t prepared for the plot twists – brought about by the Machiavellian Aunt Tillie. After some action straight out of a French farce, Bruno discovers both the strengths and limitations of family. mRb