Women's Fiction, Erotica

Neurotica

Name: Neurotica
Author: Sue Margolis
ISBN: 9780385337571

by Sue Margolis

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Overview

If he always has the headache, why should you suffer?

In the bestselling tradition of Bridget Jones's Diary comes this outrageous, hilarious look at love, marriage, and sex, introducing Anna Shapiro, who believes that surely there must be more to married life....

Tabloid reporter Anna Shapiro can pinpoint the day, three years ago, that she and her husband, Dan, last had great sex. Anna would be grateful if something as ordinary as a mere headache was her husband's excuse; Dan's hypochondriac terrors include brain tumors, tropical diseases, and spontaneous combustion. While she loves her husband, she's not ready to give up on sex at age thirty-seven--so what can she do?

It's the perfect time for the distraction of a freelance assignment. But what her editor has in mind is a story on the explosive new feminist manifesto that prescribes no-strings-attached affairs for women. Anna's assignment is to interview three women who've had extramarital affairs purely for sexual pleasure--but she's inclined to take her research a bit further....

Can a woman have an uncomplicated affair purely for sexual pleasure--or do her emotions invariably interfere? Anna's determined to find out. And despite her worries about her middle-aged body, potential research assistants prove to be plentiful.

Going where no journalist has gone before, Anna delves into a world she'd never considered until now. What is, after all, the perfect outfit for committing adultery in? Is it truly beyond the pale to pick up a man--no matter how sexy he is--at a funeral? And what can be done about that single horrifying gray hair? The answers are more hilarious than Anna could ever have predicted.

But soon Anna finds herself facing the question that she never thought she'd have to answer: Is she willing to give up her marriage and her children for what may be the biggest gamble of her life?

A novel for every woman who's ever wondered--and every woman who hasn't--Neurotica will have you roaring with laughter as it takes you on a wickedly delightful journey of sheer indulgence.

From the Hardcover edition.

Synopsis

The hilarious flip side to the exploits of Bridget Jones, "Neurotica" presents a unique but universally appealing marital comedy that introduces wife/mother/tabloid reporter Anna Shapiro and her hypochondriacal husband, Dan.

Deirdre Donahue

Neuroticranks as the perfect novel to take on holiday when your IQ has chosen to go on vacation.

About the Author, Sue Margolis

Sue Margolis was a radio reporter for fifteen years before turning to novel writing. She lives in England, and has also written
Spin Cycle and Apocalipstick.

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Editorials

Deirdre Donahue

Neuroticranks as the perfect novel to take on holiday when your IQ has chosen to go on vacation.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Taking up where Bridget Joness Diary took off, this saucy, sexy British adventure redefines the lusty womans search for erotic satisfaction. At 37, tabloid journalist Anna Shapiro proves to be a real do-it-yourself expert. While researching an article on adultery, she embarks on three spine-tingling extramarital trysts. Annas husband, Dan, is a compulsive hypochondriac, spending his time agonizing over a plethora of self-diagnosed diseases, planning his funeral and dodging his dead mothers nagging, reproachful voice. All this, and the demands of their two young children, has drastically reduced the Shapiros sex life; Anna remembers the last time she and her husband had anything resembling mind-blowingly filthy sex was three years ago. While Anna is shaggin to her hearts content, she is unaware that her husband, still faithfully in love with her, is seeking to cure himself of his neuroses, secretly, through therapy and a wacky New Age psychic. And she is surprised when her most recent fun-loving Romeo snags her heart, forcing her to face the possible disintegration of her family. In the midst of humorous high drama, Anna maintains her mission to publicly reveal a shocking secret of one of Americas most hypocritical and arrogant feminist figures. This subplot blooms alongside racy sex scenes, near-death catastrophes, a Jewish funeral, and the cost of male strippers, shallow editors and loyal friends. Anna emerges with a new understanding of herself, her family and her happiness. Margoliss prose is witty and sure. Annas story is not simply a portrait of a marriage or fluffy erotic high jinks, but rather a taut and rambunctious tale exploring the perils and raptures of the pursuit of passion. (June)

Library Journal

Saucy Brit Nina Shapiro is sex starved. If only her husband, Dan, weren't completely engrossed with his current hypochondriacal obsession-of-the-week, he could pay her some attention. But Dan's too busy lugging around his portable fire extinguisher, just in case he spontaneously bursts into flames. So when Nina is assigned to write a freelance article about a recently published book entitled The Clitoris-Centered Woman, she decides to sleep with three men and tell her own story. We follow Nina through her sexual travail and watch Dan attempt to battle his fears and reclaim his life. In the tradition of British television's Absolutely Fabulous, this very British romp is R-rated fun: clever and amusing but also a bit trashy. The catchy title and a lot of recent media attention will have patrons asking for it. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/99.]--Beth Gibbs, P.L. of Charlotte & Mecklenburg Cty., Charlotte, NC Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The misadventures of an English tabloid reporter who decides to research an article on adultery by having a few flings of her own. Were she a housewife rather than a journalist, Anna Shapiro would probably have seduced several milkmen by the time the story begins. Her husband Dan, also a journalist, is a world-class hypochondriac convinced that he•s in the early stages of testicular cancer. Although he•s been told by his doctor that there•s absolutely nothing wrong with his bollocks, Dan persists in his delusions and refuses to have sex with Anna. Now, after several years of enforced celibacy, Anna is about ready to explode, though she suffers her frustration in silence and throws herself deeper into her work. When she•s assigned an article on adultery, however, the air gets a bit thick. Apparently the hip American feminist Rachel Stern, famous for her attacks on the fitness and cosmetic-surgery industries, has just published a new book (The Clitoris-Centered Woman) praising adultery as a path of sexual liberation for women. Anna is to write a piece on Stern•s thesis, basing it on the experiences of at least three adulterous wives. Soon Anna has a flash of insight: Instead of interviewing three women, why not just commit adultery three times herself? So she•s off: first, with an Irish airline pilot, then a plastic surgeon, then another journalist. Dan, meantime, has begun seeing a therapist on the sly to work out the roots of his hypochondria and patch things up with his wife. But Anna soon learns that there•s no such thing as sex free of emotion•or adultery free of guilt•and she begins to wonder if she can ever close the can of worms she•s opened up. She always knew thatmarriage was about more than sex. Now she sees that love is, too. Somewhat simplistic and a bit too dependant on cheap laughs, but Margolis•s debut is brightly written and good-natured enough to win over most skeptics.