The Life of Riley

This is a family story about the quest for happiness ... And about sex, greed, gluttony and revenge. Meet the Rileys: DERMOTT: is obsessed with developing and marketing his contraceptive device, The Clip. Comparisons with Pasteur would be appropriate, Dermott thinks, for the importance of his invention. He is dedicated, single-minded, possessed of very large testicles ... and obsessive, stubborn, self-seeking and paranoid. EDITH: from the moment she was born Edith was unpopular, and things don't seem likely to change - until she joins the mysterious TW2 cult. JUDITH: Judith never really got over the divorce; but she's never really got over having Maude Acacia for a mother, either. But there are consolations: lunches, parties, and the heady social whirl. FIONA: for Fiona happiness is a physical thing - a very physical thing. And when it nearly kills her husband, she moves beyond the family. YOUNG JOSEPH: As far as Young Joseph can see his family is the one thing that stands between him and a life of eternal bliss. MARY: already has everything she ever wanted: a loving husband, a baby on the way ... So when a television documentary crew offer to make a film about her family, she can see no reason to refuse -- until it becomes clear that it is turning into another Sylvania Waters. MAUDE ACACIA: grandmother of the clan, who feels it's about time everyone sat up and took notice. Every year the Rileys gather around Granny Maude for Christmas at 'Little Mornington', the family mansion. But this year is different. This year Granny gives them an ultimatum: they have one year to achieve happiness, or they're out of the will. In the classic tradition of COLD COMFORT FARM and P.G. Wodehouse comes a hilarious tale of family life, feuding, and the meaning of happiness ... ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Steve Wright is a novelist and screenwriter. He wrote the screenplay for LILIAN'S STORY (adapted from Kate Grenville's novel), and has published three private eye novels. Steve lives in Sydney with his wife and two boys. SELLING POINTS: ** Great fun. ** Family relationships are endlessly fascinating and here is a particularly eccentric family ** Classic comedy In the tradition of Wodehouse, Cold Comfort Farm -- but with an Australian twist.
Fiction: Wright