The Lonely Polygamist

Udall takes one of the basic sitcom setups, the good-hearted, incompetent dad, and turns it up—not to 11, but to 28, the number of kids title patriarch Golden Richards has scrambling around the four houses he shares with his four wives. (Think Dick Van Dyke tripping over a whole obstacle course of ottomans.) Equal parts goofy and heartfelt, The Lonely Polygamist is a big, beautiful mess of a book that turns the patriarchy on its head without losing sight of the humanity of anyone involved. It's also one of the funniest books I've ever read.