When her husband buys a jacked-up truck complete with cattle guard, Melanie Gideon - wife, mother and dog owner - knows her life is about to change. He dreams of taking road trips in it, but Melanie can't muster up any enthusiasm. Instead, the roar of its diesel engine seems to rip through her suburban existence. Dazed, confused and no longer able to recognise herself, she wonders: is this all there is? THE SLIPPERY YEAR is a poignant and funny insight into a year in Melanie's life as she tries to come to terms with her 'happily ever after'. In her quest to reignite passion, beauty and mystery in her life, Melanie reflects on her receding youth and impending midlife, only to discover the sweetness of ordinary pleasures that were there all along ...