Kako podići krov

Cari is unemployed, with a balance in her bank account the size of the national debt, and her ex-husband Martin – that irresponsible spendthrift – maxed out her credit card before leaving her for another woman. He still demands payment of the debt to give her the house, otherwise she will be left on the streets. In desperation, Cari falls for the cunning plan of her friend Nigel, an “entrepreneur” with a trade in tricks: buy the worst house on the worst street in town and turn it into rental apartments. “Just get a loan from the bank, and the money will come to you!” assures her Nigel, an optimistic charlatan with a crew of workers who drink more than they work.

But reality quickly overwhelms the fairy tales. The bank manager is hostile, Cari’s sister is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, a friend is perpetually pregnant, another may be carrying the wrong man’s child, and the tenant is not paying the rent. The work on the house turns into chaos: rain leaks through the roof, the electricity goes out, and Nigel disappears at the most critical moment. Cari struggles with a list of "actions" - to make money, to lose weight, to find great love and to become rich in order to make Martin jealous. Instead, come the Incari, the police van and the unexpected "knight" who turns out to be married.

Wenham-Jones, with the sharp pen of a journalist and writer, mocks the everyday absurdities of life, marital breakdown and real estate dreams. The novel, full of self-irony and warmth, reminds us that from chaos comes strength - or at least a good story. Ideal for fans of British humor such as Helen Fielding or Marian Keyes.