The Not Wives

July 15, 2019
Moore’s intriguing debut novel (after the collection 16 Pills) takes place in New York City in 2011 against the cultural and political backdrop of Occupy Wall Street. Stevie is a writing teacher at NYU, co-parenting her lively daughter, Sasha, with her friendly soon-to-be ex, Aaron, and figuring out her romantic and sexual relationships postseparation. Over two days, her life changes dramatically—she witnesses a young girl jumping to her death, and she is informed that the “Professor in Residence” program, which allowed her and Sasha to live in a faculty apartment in the dorms, is being canceled. Meanwhile, Stevie’s best friend Mel has just opened up her relationship with her long-term girlfriend and is drawn to a male chef at the bar where she works. A chance encounter in Washington Square Park leads Stevie and Mel to meet a teenager named Johanna, who is living in the park with her older boyfriend after running away from an abusive home. Their lives intersect again and become intertwined when Stevie realizes Johanna was also a witness to the falling girl. As the Occupy movement gains momentum, Stevie, Mel, and Johanna critically examine their lives and choices in hopes of creating a world for themselves and their loved ones. Though longer than it needs to be, Moore’s novel is nonetheless ambitious and immersive.

September 1, 2019

In 2011, untenured writing instructor Stevie does not have the job security or income of her colleagues at a New York university. She struggles to provide for her young daughter, whom she is coparenting with her soon-to-be ex. When she learns she will no longer be able to live in faculty housing, she fears she will have to leave the city. Stevie's best friend, Mel, is exploring polyamory while working to maintain her relationship with her long-term girlfriend. Teenage runaway Johanna lives a hobo lifestyle in the park with her drug-addicted boyfriend. The three women meet by chance one night, leading them all to become involved with the Occupy Wall Street movement. As the women's lives become intertwined, each of them look to find her place in a world where what women can be has never been more open and what women should be has never been more confusing. VERDICT The women's self-sabotage and questionable decision-making feel authentic for characters going through so much upheaval. Readers seeking an examination of modern womanhood during a time of great financial and societal turmoil will find Moore's first adult novel (after an essay collection, 16 Pills, and a YA novel) a satisfying read.--Portia Kapraun, Delphi P.L., IN

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2019
When a woman's personal and professional lives unravel simultaneously, things will feel off-kilter. It's 2011. Stevie, an untenured writing teacher at a university in New York, is trying to parent her 8-year-old daughter, Sasha, at least on the days that the child lives with her. At other times, Sasha is in the East Village with dad Aaron, and while the adults' relationship is not contentious, it is certainly not easy. Meanwhile, Stevie's best friend, Mel, who's in a long-term relationship with a woman, has been having sex with a man she works with and, at the age of 42, has become pregnant. Should she have the baby? she wonders. What does Stevie think? Clearly, both options have pros and cons. Stevie is further stressed by something she saw on the first day of the fall semester: A student jumped to her death from the roof of the glass-walled building in which Stevie teaches, her body free falling onto the pavement as the class watched in shock. It's a haunting, horrific image. Days later, when Stevie visits an impromptu on-campus memorial, she meets a homeless teenage runaway named Johanna who also saw the suicide. This bonds them. The backdrop to all this is Occupy Wall Street; the encampment allows each character to address society's failings and dream about other ways of living and being. And then there's sex--lots of graphic sex as Stevie barhops to feel less distraught over the dissolution of her marriage. It's a complex plot involving loads of people, and their relationships are messy and often fueled by drugs and alcohol. Written with a keen ear for dialogue and an exceptional eye for detail, the novel is a showcase for the everyday reality of working-class intellectuals living in an increasingly gentrified city. A provocative and well-told story about chosen community, friendship, and human frailty.

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