NEW RELEASE
The Pile of Stuff at the Bottom of the Stairs - Christina Hopkinson (2011)
Working mother Mary is sick and tired of the mess in her house - and the fact that husband Joel seems oblivious to it. So just like she does star charts to get her young sons to behave, she creates one for her husband -a carefully devised Excel spreadsheet which counts up all his misdemeanours, with points off for good behaviour. In six months, Mary will decide: if his star chart proves he is an asset, he gets to stay. If not ... This is a hilarously funny insight into the battle of the sexes being waged on the domestic front across the world. Hopkinson nails perfectly the daily frustrations that can drive a wedge into long-term relationships. Read it if you're up to facing some of your own home truths.
British journalist Christina Hopkinson has released her second novel - seven years after her debut Izobel Brannigan.com. The Pile of Stuff at the Bottom of the Stairs is about a woman who has had enough with her husband's untidiness. The summary says: "Mary Gilmour feels as though her life is going down a plug hole clogged with cornflakes and Play-Doh. Her job is part-time but housework is full-time, and she has no time at all for her two young sons. Mary is convinced that there is only one thing standing between her and organised contentment: his name is Joel and she's married to him. Since star charts have worked on improving the behaviour of their children, she designs an equivalent for her husband: a spreadsheet detailing every balled-up tissue, every sock on the floor, every wet towel on the bed. Although he has no idea of it, Joel has six months to prove that his credits outweigh his debits. Or else . . ."