Jonathan Vatner's Reviews > The Not Wives

The Not Wives is a very real and raw view into the lives of three women in New York City during the Occupy movement. I enjoyed and appreciated it very much for its portrayal of women who are not usually the heroes of fiction: a single activist mom (Stevie), a bisexual woman in an open relationship (Mel), and a homeless woman (Johanna). I loved how much sex those first two had--the book is drenched in hot wet eroticism--and even as a gay man, I was turned on. I also adored little Sasha, Stevie's charming daughter.
From a craft perspective, the novel is quite deft, switching between first and third person, as well as a few short sections that read more like prose poetry. And the details of New York are spot-on and fun to read.