Derek Siegel's Reviews > The Not Wives

Kinda shocked this book didn't make a bigger splash in the queer, lefty book-world. As other reviewers point out, the three main characters are compelling and flawed. Seeing what "Occupy" (specifically) and liberation (more generally) means to them in the context of their own lives is such a treat. I like that Moore captures all the ways financial precariousness can look like but doesn't pretend like being an adjunct professor at NYU is the same as a partnered bartender living with her more successful is the same as a teen living on the streets. It's true that moments like "Occupy" can break through these social strata and bring Stevie and Mel into Johanna's orbit (and vice-versa). There is something radical in these burgeoning friendships (and the forms of care that are created). But these friendships are also messy, challenging, and tenuous - good intentions or even small acts of solidarity can't dismantle structures of oppression, at least not in the short-term. "The Not Wives" is funny, sexy, introspective, and well-written. I loved it!