Gabriele Martin’s Flight of the Uberbites is a satirical comedy with English characters set against the backdrop of rural Italy, a combination which provides a rich source of language humour. The Lost in Translation title had already been taken, but it would have suited just as well. When Algernon Uberbite decides to flee England where his bank account is facing a slight cash flow problem, he takes with him his reluctant and unsuspecting family, as well as his beloved dogs, and heads for the imaginary town of Pastacula, Italy. The professed reason for the trip is to meet with his long time friend Horatio, an artist, and look after his run-down villa in his absence. However, the real reason is his hope to hide from Intstapol and go unnoticed, a hope with no chance of success when it comes to such a dysfunctional and obnoxious family. Other reasons for the trip, as well as various parties at work in the shadows, reveal themselves gradually as they all contribute to creating total bedlam in the sleepy Italian countryside.

By Gabriele Martin’s own admission, the stylistic approach was deliberate, a tribute to the kind of language that was used in the past. The play on words and misunderstandings resulting from unfortunate translations provide endless hilarious situations, with no subtlety needed, and are maybe sometimes a bit overplayed. My personal favourites were the surveillance daily reports written by the Italian Instapol agent, Guido Ventosi, though they are secondary to the main action. His unfettered capability to come up with seemingly plausible reasons for putting numerous wild items on Instapol’s expenses is a stroke of brilliance. Also, the final twist proving that the jovial and credulous Algernon might have unsuspected depths of feeling and perceptiveness is quite a surprise. If you like movies like If it’s Tuesday, This Must be Belgium, you’ll love this book.

Flight of the Uberbites: No Time for an Epiphany by Gabriele Martin takes us to a sleepy little town in Italy that seems like the perfect place to hide, if you need one. Algernon Uberbite packed up his family - wife Cornelia, son Alistair, and two dogs Winston and Churchill - and moved them to the rural town. Of course, you should never judge a book by its cover and the same goes for a town. It is not long before Algernon and his family are wrapped up in Mafia deals, fraud, and international money laundering. What will they do with the chaos it creates?

I have not laughed this much when reading a book in a long time. Gabriele Martin has created a deliciously witty fun romp with characters that are full bodied. You can easily picture yourself going along with the Uberbites as they endure what I can only call a comedy of errors along the way. The dialogue between the characters is one thing that really stands out because it is so well written. I know personally I often find character dialogue in books stilted or a little bit “off” and unnatural. I did not get that feeling at all with Flight of the Uberbites; everything seemed to be just as it should be. If laughter is the best medicine, then this book was a double dose of the good stuff and should not be missed. I would highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys a good book.