From the New York Times bestselling author of There Was an Old Woman comes a novel about a professional organizer with a deadly problem she may not be able to clean up.
Emily Harlow is a professional organizer who helps people declutter their lives; sheâs married to man who canât drive past a yard sale without stopping. Heâs filled their basement, attic, and garage with his finds.
Like other professionals who make a living decluttering peoplesâ lives, Emily has devised a set of ironclad rules. When working with couples, she makes clear that the client is only allowed to declutter his or her own stuff. That stipulation has kept Emilyâs own marriage together these past few years. Sheâd love nothing better than to toss out all her husbandâs crap. He says heâs a collector. Emily knows betterâheâs a hoarder. The larger his âcollectionâ becomes, the deeper the distance grows between Emily and the man she married.
Luckily, Emilyâs got two new clients to distract herself: an elderly widow whose husband left behind a storage unit she didnât know existed, and a young wife whose husband wonât allow her stuff into their house. Emilyâs initial meeting with the young wife takes a detour when, after too much wine, the women end up fantasizing about how much more pleasant life would be without their collecting spouses.
But the next day Emily finds herself in a mess that might be too big for her to clean up. Careful what you wish for, the old adage says . . . now Emily might lose her freedom, her marriage . . . and possibly her life.