McCauley is a master of the charm offensive — social criticism (from a decidedly liberal point of view) sweetened with wit. Some one-liners, like Julie's attitude toward extortionate divorce settlements, are positively Wildean, although underneath there's a serious message about scruples ... In the vein of inveterate beguilers like Laurie Colwin, Elinor Lipman, and Maria Semple, McCauley is warm but snappy, light but smart — and just plain enjoyable. His purview is not the big issues like race, intolerance, and poverty, but life's hiccups and fumbles. He understands the lure of cozy domesticity — and the absurdity of too many throw pillows. And once again, in My Ex-Life, McCauley never lets you forget that love truly is a many-splendored, not easily categorizable thing.
Nothing is more satisfying, however, than what can be aptly described as a plain, old-fashioned 'good read,' especially one as well-written as My Ex-Life from skillful storyteller and bestselling author Stephen McCauley ... You fall in love with these two unique characters who, not so uniquely, are facing unforeseen changes in midlife—both failing initially and ultimately succeeding. You’ll see yourself in them and in the other characters that populate this warm and funny story. It’s storytelling at its best.
McCauley fits neatly alongside Tom Perrotta and Maria Semple in the category of 'Novelists You’d Most Like to Drive Across the Country With' — fine company, indeed. And if there’s more lust for real estate than actual lust within these pages, that feels appropriate for this idiosyncratic couple. From the time David shows up on Julie’s stoop, the reader hopes against all hope that these two might figure out a way to head out to pasture, together.
As in his previous novels, most recently Insignificant Others (2010), McCauley delights with intimately, often hilariously observed characters and a winking wit that lets plenty of honest tenderness shine through. Readers will love spending time in these pages.
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 ... McCauley summons up a conclusion that makes a profound statement about time passing and the shifting mirage of life goals. Like the best of comic fiction writers [...] McCauley draws his readers into reflecting on some of the big questions — sexuality, mortality, failure — with the lure of laughter.
The interwoven domestic plots and seaside setting allow McCauley, always a keen commentator on cultural mores, opportunity for witty observations on the Airbnb trend, the predictability of tourist traps—Mandy briefly holds a summer job at a store whose dire name, Beachy Keen, she can’t even bring herself to utter—and high schoolers’ stumbling efforts to write about themselves ... There are genuine dark notes, too, as Mandy’s path proves more wayward than either David or Julie could have guessed, past secrets are painfully revealed, and the cold economic realities of the real estate market force them both to acknowledge that their dream of non-wedded domestic bliss may prove a wistful fantasy. Until it does, though, there is the warm fondness these exes have for one another.
...witty and tender-hearted ... What resonates in My Ex-Life is the pull of affable companionship between two people with memories to share, and the deeper satisfaction of mutuality over physical intimacy.
McCauley seasons the novel with a liberal helping of the anxieties of contemporary American life, chief among them upper-middle-class parents’ apprehension about their children’s futures and aging baby boomers’ regret that life’s brass ring will always be just out of reach. He excels in some wickedly funny scenes that depict Julie’s fumbling efforts to turn her home into an economically productive Airbnb, as well as a tender portrayal of the odd sexual tension that bubbles up during Julie and David’s reunion. They’re the sort of people who know their lives possess all the ingredients for happiness, but who seem to have lost the recipe. For all the idiosyncrasies of McCauley’s creations, it’s likely many readers will see aspects of their own lives reflected in these pages.
McCauley has a remarkable talent for telling a story filled with insights into human behavior and laced with plenty of humor ... This fun, clever story about a postmodern permutation of family is also warm and perceptive.
As always, McCauley's (Insignificant Others, 2010, etc.) effervescent prose is full of wit and wisdom on every topic—college application essays, Airbnb operation, weed addiction, live porn websites, and, most of all, people ... A gin and tonic for the soul.
