Eggshells by Caitriona Lally

Told by her parents that she was "left by fairies," Vivian spends her days walking the streets of Dublin, Ireland in search of the portal that she will fit in.  Her eccentric ways will not conform to everyday norms; she spells trouble for social workers.  A lover of words, maps, and history, Vivian functions every day on her own terms, keeping a fish for company and advertising for a friend who in her mind must be named Penelope.  Her only sister avoids her and tells her to shower more often. With good intentions, Vivian prepares an elaborate dinner and invites her family over.  What follows is a series of laugh aloud mishaps.  Eggshells is a dark comedy of mental illness that keeps me reading and hoping for a breakthrough for the protagonist.