This novel challenges the widely held assumption that marriage is the best form of relationship, or the only valid one or that it should consist of one man, one woman. Divorce rates are soaring, stable family relationships are rare and the notion of one partner for life is an endangered species. Conventional marriage vows do not work, a view discussed by an ex-monk, lesbians, bisexuals, divorcees, ex-escorts and others who have their say and rightly so. Violence in the home, abuse of children, sexual perversions and drug addictions show we are living in a sick and tragic age. What is urgently needed is a new understanding of relationships. The Checklist is intended to contribute to that fundamental need.