My Ex-Life: A Novel

National Bestseller Best Book of the Year: NPR, Shelf Awareness I didn't know how much I needed a laugh until I began reading Stephen McCauley's new novel, My Ex-Life. This is the kind of witty, sparkling, sharp novel for which the verb chortle was invented. Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air McCauley fits neatly alongside Tom Perrotta and Maria Semple in the category of Novelists Youd Most Like to Drive Across the Country With. The New York Times Book Review David Hedgess life is coming apart at the seams. His job helping San Francisco rich kids get into the colleges of their (parents) choice is exasperating; his younger boyfriend has left him; and the beloved carriage house he rents is being sold. His solace is a Thai takeout joint that delivers 24/7. The last person he expects to hear from is Julie Fiske. Its been decades since theyve spoken, and hes relieved to hear shes recovered from her brief, misguided first marriage. To him. Julie definitely doesnt have a problem with marijuana (shes given it up completely, so it doesnt matter if she gets stoned almost daily) and the Airbnb shes running out of her seaside house north of Boston is neither shabby nor illegal. And she has two whole months to come up with the money to buy said house from her second husband before their divorce is finalized. Shed just like Davids help organizing college plans for her seventeen-year-old daughter. That would be Mandy. To quote Barry Manilow, Oh Mandy. While she knows shes smarter than most of the kids in her school, she cant figure out why shes making so many incredibly dumb and increasingly dangerous choices? When David flies east, they find themselves living under the same roof (one David needs to repair). David and Julie pick up exactly where they left off thirty years agotheyre still best friends who can finish each others sentences. But theres one broken bit between them that no amount of home renovations will fix. In prose filled with hilarious and heartbreakingly accurate one-liners, Stephen McCauley has written a novel that examines how we define home, family, and love. Be prepared to laugh, shed a few tears, and have thoughts of your own ex-life triggered. (Throw pillows optional.)