Book 38: "Death and the Penguin" by Andrey Kurkov

[kittiwake]

A struggling author called Viktor becomes the proud owner of a depressive king penguin called Misha when the zoo in Kiev gives away the animals it can no longer afford to feed. A year later, he takes what seems initially like a simple job writing obituaries ahead of need for a Kiev newspaper, and finds himself and his penguin entangled in some rather sinister goings on.

This black comedy set in the post-communist Ukraine is a short tale full of humour and pathos. I loved the thought of Misha the penguin being asked to attend funerals to add a bit of class!