Plus One

September 15, 2014
In his first novel, journalist Noxon, the husband of TV writer-producer Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Orange Is the New Black) doesn’t stray far from his own experience in writing about Alex Sherman-Zicklin, a former marketing executive (last campaign: soystrami) whose wife, Figgy, is the creator of the hit TV series, Tricks, about a suburban housewife who runs a prostitution ring out of a scrapbooking shop (sound familiar?). Alex stays home to take care of their two young children and accompany his more successful wife to various industry functions. His descent into Hollywood marriage purgatory begins when Figgy wins an Emmy and has a “Swank moment,” forgetting to thank him in her acceptance speech. A rat sighting in their home sends Alex into the byzantine world of L.A. residential real estate. To complicate matters, Alex worries that Figgy might be having an affair with Zev, her Israeli director of photography. The last blow, though, comes when Alex finds out that Figgy has gone off the pill and wants another child. His response sets off a climactic marital crisis. Noxon (Rejuvenile) channels the ’80s semi-classic, Mr. Mom, with a Hollywood makeover. But despite some deft observations about the L.A. parenting scene, Alex’s story seems inconsequential.