My Ex-Life by Stephen McCauley (The Object of My Affection) explores the relationship between a gay man and his ex-wife with wit and wisdom. David rents a carriage house with amazing views in San Francisco and enjoys his career, helping teens apply to colleges. But his partners has left him and his landlord is selling the house, which means David has to move.
In a seaside town on the East Coast, David's ex-wife, Julie, is in the midst of a messy divorce, her second husband threatening custody of their teen daughter, Mandy. Julie is renting out rooms in the house on Airbnb to make some extra money, but things are getting desperate. When she calls David, after 20 years apart, to ask him to help Mandy with her college applications, he jumps at the chance.
McCauley has a remarkable sense of humor and a talent for human insight. For instance, Mandy describes her friend like this: "Lindsay considered herself a 'romantic,' which meant she was a Disney princess who'd read her mother's copy of Fifty Shades of Grey." This fun, clever story about a postmodern permutation of family stands out for its keen wit and enduring warmth. --Suzan L. Jackson, freelance writer and author of Book By Book blog