A neurotically funny collection that looks under the hood of adult life.

As in life, she was a pain in the arse
in death. He could hear her roaring
all the way from the fifth circle,
‘Why the hell do you get to be in a
better circle than me, I’m wrathful
because of your lust -‘

Deploying a chorus of voices both ancient and modern to explore a world of sexual politics and singles cruises, dysfunctional families and psychoanalysis, awkward cohabitations and self-help guides for the would-be Dream Girl, this is the third collection from a unique poetic talent: observant, obsessive and wickedly witty.

The funniest book I’ve read in years. Maris flexes her wit and wisdom to create a litany of nervous characters in a style that’s mordant, sarcastic, satiric yet often compassionate . . . a poet of risk, she is dark, deep and often laugh out loud — Daljit Nagra

Her dry, droll, clinically deadpan manner is all her own; but her themes – obscure hurts, implacable dissatisfactions, hardwired propensity for victimhood and suffering – reflect the experience of humanity at large — Christopher Reid

It’s like being in a cage with a jaguar – both the car and the animal: one is very fast, the other very hungry. It’s highly dangerous, but strangely, you don’t mind. Bloody readable anyway — Hugo Williams