The Cloven Viscount

Another gloriously bizarre mythical tale from Italo Calvino, and my favourite of the three that make up his Our Ancestors triptych (along with The Baron in the Trees, and the Non-Existent Knight). Perhaps unsurprisingly in a tale about a man blown into two functioning halves by a cannonball, this is a story about the duality of self, and the importance of making peace with every facet of our selves - good and bad, virtuous and shameful - but more than that, this story also cautions us against assuming that the grass is always greener and reminds us to always be grateful for what we have now, regardless of how little our lot might seem at the time. A hugely thought-provoking and often very dark book but, in keeping with the theme, laugh out loud funny in places.

+1 star for a goat in a little suit and a duck in a wedding dress, and for said animals having a lovely time on a swing