Author(s): Helen Croydon

Couples

To Helen Croydon, the idea of marriage and kids has just never appealed. But that doesn't mean she doesn't want to fall in love. Casual encounters don't appeal, yet the shackles of commitment seem terrifying, not to mention boring. So Helen sets out to explore alternative models of relationships to the conventional, monogamous, 24-7, happily-ever-after fairytale. Through immersive reportage, startling new research and tales from her own colourful love life, Helen argues that the de facto cohabiting marriage with 2.4 children is no longer appropriate in our modern, fast-paced world. She finds mounting evidence that more people, like her, are saying 'screw the fairlytale!' and finding alternative relationship lifestyles. Highlights of her mission take in a polyamorous commune in the Scottish Highlands (where she has to carry out a sexual pact), a wife-finding tour to the Ukraine and infiltrating a network of single professional women who've chosen to give up on finding love and get a sperm donor instead.
Interviews with psychologists, evolutionists, asexuals, swingers, philanderers, long-term marrieds, mistresses and 40 year old virgins all combine to break new ground in this humorous and insightful guide to sex and love for the modern girl.