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Coming Clean
Sue Margolis’s “wickedly funny”* novels have broken new ground in the fiction of love and marriage. Now she tells the story of a woman trying to iron out the problems in her life...
Eleven years ago, Sophie and Greg couldn’t get enough of each other. A pair of full-time jobs and two kids later, they’re in therapy asking themselves where all the sexy times went. Sophie thinks she knows: They’re buried under Greg’s mess. And even though her slob of a husband tries to make up for his shortcomings by cooking the occasional meal, Sophie is left to clean umpteen dirty dishes.
The last straw is when Greg uses some inheritance money to buy a World War II Sherman tank, which starts World War III in their marriage.
Sophie doesn’t so much surrender as retreat—right out of the relationship. While Greg almost immediately shacks up with someone else, Sophie finds herself facing even more uncertainty due to a job reorganization. And even though she begins to lose her heart to a high school crush, Sophie starts to realize that a shiny new relationship doesn’t always offer the softest place to fall…and she may find self-acceptance and love in the place she least expects it.
*People
Eleven years ago, Sophie and Greg couldn’t get enough of each other. A pair of full-time jobs and two kids later, they’re in therapy asking themselves where all the sexy times went. Sophie thinks she knows: They’re buried under Greg’s mess. And even though her slob of a husband tries to make up for his shortcomings by cooking the occasional meal, Sophie is left to clean umpteen dirty dishes.
The last straw is when Greg uses some inheritance money to buy a World War II Sherman tank, which starts World War III in their marriage.
Sophie doesn’t so much surrender as retreat—right out of the relationship. While Greg almost immediately shacks up with someone else, Sophie finds herself facing even more uncertainty due to a job reorganization. And even though she begins to lose her heart to a high school crush, Sophie starts to realize that a shiny new relationship doesn’t always offer the softest place to fall…and she may find self-acceptance and love in the place she least expects it.
*People
- GenresChick Lit
384 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2013
About the author
Sue Margolis
19 books136 followersSue Margolis is the author of nine books, which have more than half a million copies in print from Bantam Dell. She lives in England, where she's at work on her next novel.
Sue worked as a reporter for the BBC, before leaving broadcasting to write her first novel. She lives in London with her journalist husband Jonathan. They have three grown up children. Sue’s hobbies include napping, constantly interfering in her children’s lives, not going out, eating - especially the remains of the previous night’s take-out curry straight from the fridge, and watching made for TV true-life movies in her PJs.
She died of lung cancer, aged 62.
Sue worked as a reporter for the BBC, before leaving broadcasting to write her first novel. She lives in London with her journalist husband Jonathan. They have three grown up children. Sue’s hobbies include napping, constantly interfering in her children’s lives, not going out, eating - especially the remains of the previous night’s take-out curry straight from the fridge, and watching made for TV true-life movies in her PJs.
She died of lung cancer, aged 62.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 4, 2014
I wrote a brilliant review but it didn't save and now I don't feel like writing again how brilliant I found his book. It was completely relatable and dealt with the image of woman and trying to balance family and work which can be a constant struggle and not depicted enough in my opinion.
Sophie is done trying to clean up after her husband. He is a slob. After working all day the last thing that she wants to do is come home and cleaning up after her messy husband. It would appear that her two children are taking up his bad habits. And he just doesn't understand why he should clean up. When he goes out and buys a Sherman Tank, it is the straw that breaks the camel's back and they go our for couples therapy. But Sophie has built up years of resentment and anger and it would appear that it is too little too late and the couple agree to separate. It does not bode any better when she finds that her husband is seeing a famous feminist and he is doing all the things he never did with her. With a job re-organization and meeting an old crush, Sophie struggles with ideals of wife and mother as she communicates with her best friend and her sister.
Sophie is done trying to clean up after her husband. He is a slob. After working all day the last thing that she wants to do is come home and cleaning up after her messy husband. It would appear that her two children are taking up his bad habits. And he just doesn't understand why he should clean up. When he goes out and buys a Sherman Tank, it is the straw that breaks the camel's back and they go our for couples therapy. But Sophie has built up years of resentment and anger and it would appear that it is too little too late and the couple agree to separate. It does not bode any better when she finds that her husband is seeing a famous feminist and he is doing all the things he never did with her. With a job re-organization and meeting an old crush, Sophie struggles with ideals of wife and mother as she communicates with her best friend and her sister.
June 7, 2016
I thought this was funny, and believable
July 27, 2017
This was an easy read - good beach/summer choice. I didn't love it - but it held my interest. Predictable tale of a couple going through mid-life marriage/career challenges. Added plot twists/story-lines kept it interesting. Author seems to like to reference genitalia/sexual themes for no reason except gratuitous...but that may just be my feeling! Fun easy read.
November 18, 2019
What an interesting interplay between the relationships of a husband and wife. This was an easy read and one I needed after reading two depressing books.
January 11, 2017
Turned out I've read it before, but forget when or in what format (Eng or Ind). A bit too cliche-y at some parts but overall I enjoyed it.
November 20, 2013
Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes
My first impression of Sophie was of a tough, focused mother with a desire to get her life in order. Husband Greg just seems to be making her life more difficult, from his lack of cleanliness to his inability to remain on task- he’s definitely not helping to keep their family life on track. I wasn’t really expecting what happened to their marriage though, and I liked Margolis’ take on a domestic life gone haywire really affecting the intimacies of marriage.
Coming Clean started with lots of emotion, quite a lot of humour, and a realistic relationship, and I loved the honesty that came out during their therapy sessions. Once Greg and Sophie made a decision about their marriage I found I lost a bit of the tug that drew me to them initially. Greg’s new love-life was both bizarre and unrealistic - to be married to Sophie and then immediately choose someone polar opposite (who apparently made him clean up his act in a matter of weeks?) was just too sudden for me. And although Sophie’s reaction to her new state was more realistically emotional, I did have a hard time accepting her new love interest- it just didn’t feel natural a pairing. Despite my misgivings about the new partners I was still interested in both Sophie and Greg and saw the glimmers of their previous life and how they interacted with each other before the disintegration began. I hope they would find their way back to each other and was invested in reading about their children and their family unit.
I think my own interest was piqued mostly by Margolis’ simple and well written story of a marriage that collapsed - purely from the tedium and pressures of normal family life, which was a unique take for me on a common story-line.
Thank you to NAL Trade for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
My first impression of Sophie was of a tough, focused mother with a desire to get her life in order. Husband Greg just seems to be making her life more difficult, from his lack of cleanliness to his inability to remain on task- he’s definitely not helping to keep their family life on track. I wasn’t really expecting what happened to their marriage though, and I liked Margolis’ take on a domestic life gone haywire really affecting the intimacies of marriage.
Coming Clean started with lots of emotion, quite a lot of humour, and a realistic relationship, and I loved the honesty that came out during their therapy sessions. Once Greg and Sophie made a decision about their marriage I found I lost a bit of the tug that drew me to them initially. Greg’s new love-life was both bizarre and unrealistic - to be married to Sophie and then immediately choose someone polar opposite (who apparently made him clean up his act in a matter of weeks?) was just too sudden for me. And although Sophie’s reaction to her new state was more realistically emotional, I did have a hard time accepting her new love interest- it just didn’t feel natural a pairing. Despite my misgivings about the new partners I was still interested in both Sophie and Greg and saw the glimmers of their previous life and how they interacted with each other before the disintegration began. I hope they would find their way back to each other and was invested in reading about their children and their family unit.
I think my own interest was piqued mostly by Margolis’ simple and well written story of a marriage that collapsed - purely from the tedium and pressures of normal family life, which was a unique take for me on a common story-line.
Thank you to NAL Trade for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
September 2, 2013
I’m a big fan of Sue Margolis and have every book she has ever written since Neurotica in 1998. So, I was really happy to see that she has written a new book after a two year absence. It was worth the wait.
The book starts with Greg and Sophie going to visit a couple’s counselor to try to repair their fracturing marriage. Little things like Greg buying a Sherman tank, his constant inability to do anything around the house (including plunging the toilet he stops up on a regular basis), and a lack of action in the bedroom have brought Sophie to the end of her rope. Greg, on the other hand, sees her as a woman neurotic about cleanliness with a martyr complex and who doesn’t appreciate how hard he works to support the family. Needless to say, the sessions do not go well and they decide to separate.
What follows is the telling of how a family functions after a split. This is what I like to call a slice of life book. There are no major highs or lows, no real villain or hero, just regular people trying to make sense of the life that they have ended up living. In addition to her marriage imploding, Sophie has to deal with major changes at work, financial troubles, and general life suckiness! Greg seemingly is able to move on with little disruption in his life.
I really liked this book. Ms. Margolis manages to keep a humorous bend to a lot of the angst in the book but not to the point of making it a farce. Both Sophie and Greg move on and have personal growth that allows them to get happiness back in their lives. When I got to the end, I was pleased with how it all worked out. I hope that Ms. Margolis has her next book out sooner than two years from now!
The book starts with Greg and Sophie going to visit a couple’s counselor to try to repair their fracturing marriage. Little things like Greg buying a Sherman tank, his constant inability to do anything around the house (including plunging the toilet he stops up on a regular basis), and a lack of action in the bedroom have brought Sophie to the end of her rope. Greg, on the other hand, sees her as a woman neurotic about cleanliness with a martyr complex and who doesn’t appreciate how hard he works to support the family. Needless to say, the sessions do not go well and they decide to separate.
What follows is the telling of how a family functions after a split. This is what I like to call a slice of life book. There are no major highs or lows, no real villain or hero, just regular people trying to make sense of the life that they have ended up living. In addition to her marriage imploding, Sophie has to deal with major changes at work, financial troubles, and general life suckiness! Greg seemingly is able to move on with little disruption in his life.
I really liked this book. Ms. Margolis manages to keep a humorous bend to a lot of the angst in the book but not to the point of making it a farce. Both Sophie and Greg move on and have personal growth that allows them to get happiness back in their lives. When I got to the end, I was pleased with how it all worked out. I hope that Ms. Margolis has her next book out sooner than two years from now!
December 20, 2013
I have read other books by Sue Margolis and enjoyed them, so when I saw this one I picked it up.
This was a quick chick lit read for me. What really stood out was the realistic portrayal of a marital breakup. In most of these type books the divorce is predicated by some great betrayal, whether it be adultery, theft, or some other deceit, but in real life most people that I know who divorced were just cases like this, people growing apart over time. The more “apart” people feel, the less inclined they are to forgive their partner’s bad habits or faults (which is basically what happened in the story). I have had more than one friend say that their marriage turned into just a “roommate” type relationship. I also felt that the financial situation was more realistic than in the average chick lit/women’s fiction divorce story.
I admire the writing and the character development, but that being said there was something missing. Perhaps the story was so close to real life that it seemed a little mundane? Not really certain, however overall a good but not great read.
This was a quick chick lit read for me. What really stood out was the realistic portrayal of a marital breakup. In most of these type books the divorce is predicated by some great betrayal, whether it be adultery, theft, or some other deceit, but in real life most people that I know who divorced were just cases like this, people growing apart over time. The more “apart” people feel, the less inclined they are to forgive their partner’s bad habits or faults (which is basically what happened in the story). I have had more than one friend say that their marriage turned into just a “roommate” type relationship. I also felt that the financial situation was more realistic than in the average chick lit/women’s fiction divorce story.
I admire the writing and the character development, but that being said there was something missing. Perhaps the story was so close to real life that it seemed a little mundane? Not really certain, however overall a good but not great read.
September 30, 2015
I've never read anything by Sue Margolis before, but I will be hunting down more of her book in future. Clever and light, realistic(ish), I liked all the characters. Well, except the husband, and even though their marital struggles were the story, he's more of a bit player. You hear about what he used to be like; you see how he behaves, but you don't get a sense of him as a person the way you do the main character and her sister. This is a book about women.
Though it is a light book, Margolis does touch upon the very different choices women make within relationships, careers, and motherhood, and does so with compassion and respect to all parties.
My favourite two pages of this highly entertaining book were (in my edition) 104 and 105, where the two sisters discuss the older sister's numb clitoris. I cried with laughter.
I would read another of Ms. Margolis' books on the strength of those two pages alone!
Would I recommend this book to others? I already have!
Though it is a light book, Margolis does touch upon the very different choices women make within relationships, careers, and motherhood, and does so with compassion and respect to all parties.
My favourite two pages of this highly entertaining book were (in my edition) 104 and 105, where the two sisters discuss the older sister's numb clitoris. I cried with laughter.
I would read another of Ms. Margolis' books on the strength of those two pages alone!
Would I recommend this book to others? I already have!
May 25, 2015
There are so many good things to say about this book that I wouldn't even know where to begin. Well written, authentic, funny, real are the top adjectives. Margolis truly does a brilliant job of depicting what is a core issue in modern relationships. And she does it with great style and humor. I don't think I've seen a fictional book so clearly show a serious problem and do it with such flair. Hats off.
March 12, 2014
This book was SO whiny and complainy at the beginning that I almost didn't get past the first couple chapters. But I stuck it out and it was cute. Didn't like it as much as some others by this author, but it was cute. And had a happy ending which I love. I read for recreation and I NEED my happy endings!
January 13, 2014
http://www.chicklitcentral.com/2014/0...
Also has a review for The Vintage Teacup Club
Also has a review for The Vintage Teacup Club
October 20, 2014
This was a really cute love story that remained pleasantly down-to-earth. I enjoyed the realistic story-line mixed with a touch of romance, a dash of humour, and drama to taste. My only complaint is due to my lack of knowledge of British slang!
January 21, 2014
This was not my favorite book of hers. I find that I like her older books more than I like her newer ones.
June 30, 2014
british chick lit light, nothing exceptional
October 1, 2014
A bit of a whine. Modern London woman--TV producer--divorced and reuniting. Moderately amusing--will definitely look her up in the future. Well written but predictable story.
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January 18, 2015I enjoy chick lit to turn off my brain and my mom gave me this one for Christmas, I think because it's about a woman coming to terms with painful change. It was good. I finished it in one sitting.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews