Mutton - Tapa dura

The fourth novel from India Knight, Mutton is a hilarious, heartfelt exploration of women's relationship with their looks.

What's a woman to do when she wakes up one morning and finds an enormous freak-wrinkle bisecting her forehead? When she walks past the buildings site and nothing happens? When she catches the eye of a nice young man and is rewarded with a kind, patient, for-granny smile?

Clara Hutt, 46, feels herself to be in her absolute prime. She is chipper. Her sap is rising mightily, as it happens. But then her friend Gaby comes back from California and moves in with her. Gaby is no stranger to Los Angeles's more invasive cosmetic procedures. She may be pushing 50 but she looks 35. And Clara wonders: should she follow suit? A little Botox, a little filler, a little nip, a little tuck . . . but where to stop? And is nostril-waxing ever a good idea?

'The funniest novel about the female midlife crisis' The Times

'Every so often you will hit a line so funny and true it will make you gasp out loud . . . sharp and bracing as a Claridges martini' Jenny Colgan, Telegraph

'Had me choking with laughter . . . Knight has pulled off a clever trick here. With humour and wit, she's addressed the serious subject of how to swallow the bitter pill of ageing not necessarily gracefully' Evening Standard

'A very funny exploration of ageing written with the author's trademark wit' Sunday Mirror

'The glorious fourth novel from Sunday Times columnist India Knight . . . An honest, funny book about the complexities of middle age and a reminder that life is for living, with passion and gusto, whatever your age' Hello!

India Knight is the author of three previous novels: My Life on a Plate, Don't You Want Me and Comfort and Joy. Her non-fiction books include The Shops, the bestselling diet book Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet, the accompanying bestselling cookbook Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet Cookbook and The Thrift Book. India is a columnist for the Sunday Times and lives in London with her three children.