Devils in the Sugar Shop

A failed erotic novelist; a hostess of prim sex-toy parties; an artist and a bookshop owner pursued by a demented if harmless stalker; wives, lovers, twin sisters, daughters--all members of the artsy crowd in Omaha, try to hold their families, friendships and personal lives together as they face damaged and broken marriages, and mid-life crises during one whirlwind day that may only be saved by their own children, a timely fire, and a return to their senses. Ashley, a frustrated novelist, teaches a community college class in the writing of erotica, which only seems to turn a magnifying glass on her own marriage woes. June has become filthy rich by selling marital aides at Tupperware-like home parties for a company called Sugar Shop Inc., but despite her wealth, she still longs to reunite with her impoverished ex-husband. Viv, an artist, learns to find creative inspiration, and maybe even a better understanding of herself, from a dirty-minded stalker who reliably sends her startling pictures in the mail every day. Peach and Plum, twin sisters, own a bookstore called Mermaids Singing, where together they attempt to unravel the knots of their own neuroses. All the while, the words and questionable wisdom of a tough-love motivational speaker, known only as Sybil the Guru, echoes throughout all their lives. The day ends with a few raucous parties that threaten, or promise, to challenge the ways these various women continue to live. As the women struggle for guidance in the face of sheer lunacy, they come to realize that the most useful answers are likely the ones they come up with all on their own.

Review :
"Think "Sex and the City." Now make the city...Omaha...setting aside, can a novel still be called chick lit if (a) it's written by a guy and (b) most of the chicks in question are in their late 30's to early 40's and not especially interested in shoes? When the characters spend as much time as these do searching for love, sipping cocktails and seeking comfort in one another's company, the answer is yes, though Schaffert's version of it is a good deal smarter and funnier than most of the disposable volumes cluttering up this genre's walk-in closet."--The New York Times Book Review "In his first two novels --"The Phantom Limbs of the Rollow Sisters" and "The Singing and Dancing Daughters of God" -- Timothy Schaffert used outrageous situations and quirky characters to seriously explore the complexity of personal ties that survive against all odds. In "Devils in the Sugar Shop," he succeeds again.... will perpetuate his reputation as an insightful and gifted author."--The Lincoln Journal-Star "[A] wonderfully offbeat and surprisingly original novel... a hilarious and smart tale that begs for a sequel. And maybe even a Showtime series."--IN Los Angeles Magazine "Schaffert has a good eye for the myriad ways we allow ourselves not to see our complicity in the difficulties of relationships, whether sexual or parental, and he's able to mine this with good humor and wit."--Popmatters.com "This novel of desire, longing, love, and enduring friendship is like an expensive box of chocolates: each silken morsel is luscious and approvingly decadent, and with every bite you don't necessarily know what you're going to get."--Library Journal, starred review "Sugar Shop is essentially a comedy of errors; it's all about who knows what when, and who else is trying to prevent them from sharing that information with so and so. Schaffert writes with precision and charm, and does Omaha some serious justice."--Time Out Chicago "Novelist Timothy Schaffert's Devils in the Sugar Shop (Unbridled), stocked with stiff cocktails, drag queens, and sexcapades, is as delectably campy as its title suggests."--Out Magazine