The Tax Inspector

E495948

The Tax Inspector is a darkly comic novel by Australian author Peter Carey that explores corruption, family dysfunction, and moral decay in a struggling car dealership visited by a relentless tax auditor.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf book
novel
author Peter Carey NERFINISHED
centralBusiness Catchprice Motors NERFINISHED
centralBusinessType used car dealership
countryOfOrigin Australia
exploresTopic economic decline
intergenerational trauma
social hypocrisy
tax investigation
violence within families
featuresFamily Catchprice family NERFINISHED
followsWorkByAuthor Oscar and Lucinda NERFINISHED
genre dark comedy
literary fiction
satirical novel
hasAdaptationStatus not widely adapted to film
hasCharacter Benny Catchprice NERFINISHED
Cathy Catchprice NERFINISHED
Granny Catchprice NERFINISHED
Jack Catchprice NERFINISHED
hasCriticalReception mixed to positive reviews
hasISBN 9780702222620
hasPageCount 288
language English
literaryAwardShortlist Miles Franklin Award NERFINISHED
mainTheme abuse of power
bureaucracy
capitalism
corruption
family dysfunction
moral decay
narrativeStyle third-person narration
notableFor critique of Australian suburban life
grotesque and comic characterization
unflinching depiction of family violence
partOfAuthorCareerPhase Peter Carey's middle period
precedesWorkByAuthor The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith NERFINISHED
protagonist Maria Takis NERFINISHED
protagonistOccupation tax inspector
publicationYear 1991
publisher Faber and Faber NERFINISHED
University of Queensland Press NERFINISHED
settingCountry Australia NERFINISHED
settingLocation Sydney NERFINISHED
tone darkly comic
satirical

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Peter Carey notableWork The Tax Inspector