Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick deWitt (341 pages)
I loved this book and sped through it in two days . I put off the last 23 minutes just to make it last a little longer!
Lucy (Lucien) Minor is from a small village called Bury. He has no purpose in life until he receives the position of Undermajordomo (which he is sure is a made up word, let alone job) in a castle some ways away. Thus Patrick deWitt creates a whole cast of characters: Mr. Olerglough, Agnes, Klara, the Baron Von Aux, Memel, Mewe, Adolphus- I was going to say who these people are, but decided that could be giving away too much.
Patrick deWitt, in a book of extremely short 1-3 minute chapters, uses dry humor (much like his The Brothers Sisters) and strange unfamiliar words to tell this... well, story, unlike any other I have read. Hearts "refuse to unravel", feet move "up and back" and words I've never even heard of are used (although they are in fact words... I looked them up in my Kindle dictionary).
Recommended.