Women in the Background

Book excerpt: Life can't get much better for Derek Pettyfer. He's rich, famous and between wives.He's risen above his unexceptional origins in Australia to become the toast of the London stage and a top-rating television performer. With his elegant house and enviable collection of Roman glass, Derek Pettyfer is at the pinnacle of success.Next the fall.Slowly at first, then with frightening speed, Derek Pettyfer's frayed life unravels, helped by sadistic dentists, fetishistic secretaries and the ugly-spirited beautiful people who infest great cities.Barry Humphries' comic novel is about a life in a goldfish bowl, in which the goldfish happen to be piranhas.