The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year, By Sue Townsend

Glittering reflections of the past in a chapel window

Sue Townsend's latest comic novel taps into that universal maternal desire to, occasionally, throw in the towel.

When her twins, Brian Jnr and Brianna, depart for university, Eve retreats to bed and refuses to get up.

For 17 years she has longed to yell at the world "Stop! I want to get off!". Yet by disappearing she makes herself more visible.

The novel's cast includes some cracking walk-on-parts from Eve's demonic twins to her new admirer, an ex "wanker banker" who likes to clip his nails over the London Review of Books.

A Oblomovian farce of a high order.