M.A.C. Farrant is writing at the top of her form in Girls Around the House, a hilarious and poignant look at postmodern family life. Enter a rollicking household where the narrator, Marion, is a reluctant Mother Hubbard to three wild teenagers with only one question in life: "Where's the party?" Reformed-hippie Marion juggles motherly duties, such as making "condom runs" to the local birth-control clinic on behalf of her wayward offspring, with more esoteric pursuits, like writing Haiku fiction. Meanwhile, she is wryly observed by her husband Gerry -- who dreams of escape to a solitary shed in the woods -- and a crusty bridge-playing mother-in-law who lives downstairs like a mischievous troll. Girls Around the House is a funny, earthy, fascinating look at a new -- and unusual -- generation of parents, grandparents and kids.