Alternatives to Sex - Softcover

'Hilarious, poignant and true. Wickedly insightful about the new millennium's two greatest obsessions: Sex and Real Estate' Darren Star, creator of Sex and the City 'For my money, his prose is some of the best around - graceful and sturdy and blessedly free from pretension' Armistead Maupin 'His style reads as if Anne Tyler had been drafted on to the writing team of Sex and the City' Guardian 'His characters spring effortlessly to life, and his prose is a joy to read. If you haven't tasted McCauley before what are you waiting for?' Gay Times 'McCauley's engaging fifth novel recalls the odd, impulsive behaviors that overtook Americans in the year following September 11, 2001... McCauley gets it exactly right' James Klise, Booklist 'McCauley delivers the promise of emotional progress for his flawed, charming protagonist in this clever take on the desire for love, sex and real estate' Publishers Weekly

William Collins, a Boston realtor, has known for some time that his habits are slipping out of control, but "I figured that as long as I acknowledged my behaviour was a problem, it wasn't one". He finally decides to do something about his compulsive cleaning binges, his lacklustre sales figures, and his penchant for nightly anonymous online sex, but he needs a role model for calm stability. Enter Charlotte O'Malley and Samuel Thompson, wealthy suburbanites looking for the perfect apartment in the city. 'Happy couple' William writes in his notes. "Maybe I can learn something from them". But what William learns challenges his own assumptions about love, real estate and desire. And what they learn from him just might unravel a budding friendship, not to mention a very promising sale. Stephen McCauley's new novel is a cunningly spun chronicle of life in post-traumatic, morally ambiguous America, where the heartfelt desire to do good is constantly tripped up by the need to feel good.