My Husband and Other Rats
United Kingdom

My Husband and Other Rats

by Shelley Klein

Women & Society Literary Fiction Humour 2026

Summary

Alison Solomon is facing a spectacular catalogue of midlife disasters. Her husband has left her for a younger woman, her elderly mother is struggling with dementia, and she has received a cancer diagnosis. As if that weren’t enough, a mysterious woman appears outside her house, and an actual rat seems to have moved into her kitchen. Encouraged by everyone around her to seek therapy, Alison embarks on a chaotic search for someone who can help her make sense of her unraveling life. With the support of sharp-witted friends, unexpected family revelations, and an eccentric rat catcher, she navigates heartbreak, grief, and the absurdities of everyday existence. Funny, tender, and refreshingly honest, My Husband and Other Rats explores the messiness of middle age, the resilience of women, and the possibility of finding laughter even when everything seems to be falling apart.

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About the author
Shelley Klein
Shelley Klein

Shelley Klein is a Scottish writer and psychotherapist whose work explores family relationships, personal identity, and the complexities of everyday life. Born in 1963, she is the youngest daughter of renowned Scottish textile designer Bernat Klein. Her upbringing in her family’s distinctive modernist home in the Scottish Borders inspired her memoir, The See-Through House (2020), which combines family history with reflections on architecture, creativity, and the experience of saying goodbye to a beloved home. Klein’s background in psychotherapy informs her interest in human behaviour, emotional struggles, and the ways people cope with difficult experiences. Her debut novel, My Husband and Other Rats (2026), brings these interests into comic fiction, following a middle-aged woman navigating relationship breakdown, illness, family responsibilities, and unexpected upheavals. Through humour and emotional insight, Klein explores how people find their footing when life refuses to follow the plan.

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Details
Published
2026
Author
Shelley Klein