AUSTRALIAN MADE
All That Shimmers - Jade Jaeger (2009)
When Jade's husband Mark cheats on her again, this time she changes the locks on their luxurious Sydney home. Mark is a brash hotel entrepreneur who loves the lavish lifestyle and his sports cars - and it seems his freedom and other women. Jade, who has spent the past decade becoming an Affluent Suburban Housewife (ASH), realises she's sold herself out for a Fendi bag and a Hermes bracelet. The background story to this titillating, no-holds-barred memoir, which played out in the Australian gossip and business pages, is that Mark took up with a well-known socialite (best known for being a bridesmaid at Crown Prince Frederik and Mary's wedding in Denmark) and his Pubboy empire collapsed. For Jade, even before the money runs out, her dream life is tarnished, especially as her two children get split up. She is not a sympathetic character though, from the start when she was more concerned that Mark didn't leave with her Louis Vuitton bags through to her recovery in Bali - did she deserve to be relaxing in a tropical paradise without facing up to the bankruptcy at home? If you can't get enough of Real Housewives or need a reminder that greed isn't good, then you'll relish this racy narrative.
