Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Novelist Pittard (Visible Empire) recounts the marriage-ending affair between her husband and best friend in this bold and inventive memoir. In snippets of conversations--some real, some imagined--presented like scenes from a playscript, Pittard peels back layers of betrayal and deception to chronicle what comes to look like an inevitable end. As Pittard and her husband, Patrick, trade barbs over domestic matters, deep fissures over finances and professional success are revealed. Readers easily come to see why this was "a marriage that was destined to fail," but Pittard wisely doesn't dwell on the usual litany of faults of a bad ex. In the final section, where Pittard writes plaintively about her friend Trish, the full scale of her loss is felt, and it's here that she finds true pathos. She shows how she was captivated by Trish, a woman who radiated cool confidence and who seduced her with flattery but also exploited the insecurities that Pittard confided in her: "She was my balm and my diversion, even as her treatment of me as a possible competitor fueled my physical insecurities." Pittard's frankness stings, and the stripped-down format makes this all the more potent. It's a powerhouse. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Divorce is difficult for many who've been through it to talk about. That's even more the case when the tipping point is an affair between a spouse and their partner's best friend. Novelist Pittard's (Visible Empire) genre-bending work conquers that heartbreak by combing facts with speculation and fiction. While this structure is unique, some readers who prefer traditional formats may have difficulty following along. The book notes the author's relationships with her ex-husband and best friend, divorce, and the aftermath by utilizing time jumps and short dialogue that give readers insight into her mind and thoughts as she reconciles what exactly happened. It becomes a memory exercise as events are twisted, fantasies peek through, and conversations are misremembered. The book is an honest look at how relationships can affect people, and it's a fascinating study of how the mind works when someone is dealing with heartbreak and grief. This book demonstrates the importance of communication and that the way people perceive things does not necessarily match what is happening around them. VERDICT Recommended for readers who enjoy memoirs that deal with personal relationships and the journey of discovering oneself.--Leah Fitzgerald
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Conversations, remembered and imagined, surrounding a divorce. Pittard, author of several novels, begins this deconstruction of her marriage--her less successful writer husband, Patrick (names are changed), left her for her so-called best friend, Trish--with an introduction justifying its existence. In 2017, the author published a long essay in the Sewanee Review about the situation, but readers wanted more--"the nasty bits." Clearly, it's about more than just that: "What began as a response to curious readers has since morphed into an investigation into the intersection of memory, self, honesty, and personal accounting--an investigation that sharply questions the legitimacy, ownership, and accuracy of personal and shared memories." The first half of the book, which is interesting to read in a salacious, other-people's-private-business way, presents a series of scenes, written in script format with stage directions, between her, Patrick, Trish, and a few other characters. Scenes include: "July 2016--Hannah Discovers Her Husband Is Having an Affair"; "June 2012--Four Years Earlier, Patrick Proposes"; "Fall 2005--Hannah & Trish Discuss Live Bands and Eating Disorders"; "February 2014--Nine Years Later, Hannah & Patrick Discuss Having Children." The fractured chronology sometimes makes it tricky to follow, but overall this part is snappy and controlled, an addition to the growing canon of women writers figuring out fun formal ways to liven up a sad story of betrayal. The second section is less charming, envisioning a dialogue in second person with an imagined version of her husband. Here, bitterness and TMI prevail. About his career, she says, "It's like you took one look at me--simple, boring, uptight me--and thought, Jesus, if she can do it, then surely so can I….But nothing got taken; nothing got published." In response, the imagined husband says: "This is gross. I feel dirty even tolerating this conversation." Connoisseurs of divorce memoirs will enjoy the inventive style choices and unusually nasty details. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
