Encounters with a pair of supersized Y-fronts; a humourless schoolmarm with an unfortunate name and monstrous yellow incisors; and a tut-tutting, big-breasted, modern-day gorgon are the norm for Ruth Roth. She's used to crazy. Her mum squawks like a harpy and her dad has a dodgy moral compass. Add in daily face-offs with a relentlessly bitchy mirror, and Ruth's home life feels like a Greek tragicomedy. She hankers for the ordinary. But blah is not a good fit for someone who doesn't fit in-isn't meant to. And Ruth's vanilla existence is an issue for her besties: her hot-looking, obsessive-compulsive cousin and soul mate (who needs to do everything twice-twice), and her two closest girlfriends. With their encouragement and a good homoeopathic dose of ancient mythology, Ruth embarks on an odyssey to retrieve her spirit. She's confronted with her biggest challenge ever, though, when one of these friends sends her spiralling back into a dark place.The decision she must make can either bring her out or launch the mother of all wars in her world.What some readers are saying: 'Where can a spiritually-bereft young woman search for God on a Sunday night while enjoying a get-together with her three best mates, her pompous second-year high school English teacher, and a woman with two vaginas, all for three dollars fifty? Why, of course, Meditation Intro Night at the Community Hall ... Odyssey in a Teacup is a crazy-brilliant read!' -Stephanie L Harper, author 'I haven't read any good satire in a really long time. As an American and Floridian, I used to follow writers like Dave Barry and Carl Hiassen with abandon but there is something to be said for international writers and I simply adored author Paula Houseman's new novel, "Odyssey in a Teacup". A story written around one central character, Ruth, and her trials and tribulations in her world of family, friends, occupation and the like. Ruth's encounters are nearly all quite hilarious and I loved her sharp wit, that often had me wishing I was as quick with the tongue.' -TFL Reader'Laughed myself silly through book one. Book two became more serious and frequently painful. Such is life and we all get through it, for better or worse. This is a good introspective series, you will enjoy it and think of it often. If you are Jewish, have Jewish friends or just an appreciation of Jewish humor, this story will hit all the right notes. Loved it.' -Eleanor Dow'Paula Houseman's Odyssey in a Teacup is an example of literary excellence. Based on shared childhood experiences - sex, religion, and dreams - Houseman skillfully gives voice to characters that readers will love. Houseman reminds the reader that one can pick friends but one cannot pick one's family.' -Charla White
About the Author: Paula Houseman thought her life was, well ... meh. Until she started fiction writing. What gushed forth onto the page made her realise her existence had not been mundane after all; it had been ridiculous! Sure, she has a serious side. The concept of 'identity' had fascinated her for some time, and she exercised it as a graphic designer creating them for others through imagery. Then, at university (majoring in linguistics and sociology), she explored how word usage constructs our identities and realities. Paula applied her findings to an essay on women's subjectivity, even won the 2007 UNSW United Association of Women Prize. And her honours thesis examined the archetypal significances in the words that shape our collectively authored cancer story. But while she was digging around in ancient mythology where the archetypes live, Paula developed a kinship with a butt-ugly, potty-mouthed goddess, one who embodied a holy kind of dirty, showed her the absurdity of the human condition, taught her about the value of laughter, and is responsible for the bawdiness in her book, Odyssey in a Teacup.