Last year’s Vogel winner reminds us that breaking up is hard to do. Left by their respective girlfriends, the Harrison brothers lead a shambolic existence, numb with grief. Matthew retreats into an imaginary tryst with comedienne Magda Szubanski while younger brother George shuffles along in a soulless job. Unlike his namesake, George is no chilled-out Beatle but reminiscent of a less cynical, equally neurotic Holden Caulfield.

Fast forward Salinger’s anti-hero 50 years, get him a job at Northcote Bowl scrubbing wheelie bins and agonising over lost love, and you get the picture. When a wonky rebound relationship appears to offer him some respite, George can’t help but worry about that too. Throw a nutty mother into the mix and it’s difficult to imagine this hapless family ever functioning. Laszczuk’s second novel is laced with black humour but readers will need to wade patiently through some murky emotional soup before these broken-hearted goofball brothers are finally dealt a faintly upbeat hand. It’s an ending worth waiting for: moving, hopeful and unexpectedly tender. I can almost hear Magda giggling with relief.