This is a most peculiar book, a mystery set in an alternative reality. The detective, Thursday Next, lives in an England that is distinctly different from ours. Popular culture revolves around literature, rather than music or television. The government is controlled by a huge corporation, the Goliath Corporation. Wales is an independent socialist republic. People use clone-at-home kits to create their own pets from the DNA of extinct beasts. The book is full of literary jokes, yet somehow manages to hold together as a narrative.

Check out the review in Salon; browse through some of the reviews on Amazon. Repeatedly one sees The Eyre Affair compared to Hitchhiker's Guide, but it won't be accessible to as many people. My twelve-year-old son loves Hitchhiker's Guide, but would likely find The Eyre Affair too confusing, especially since he would miss so many of the jokes. You don't have to have read and loved Jane Eyre - though it helps - but you do need to at least know that the book existed.

The author, Jasper Fforde, has a fun website, Fforde Grande Central.