THE INTERIOR WORLD OF SINGLES — A REVIEW

When Julie Jensen, a New York book publicist, gets a hysterical phone call from her friend Georgia, whose husband has just walked out on her for a much younger woman, she begins to assemble a group of friends to take Georgia out and introduce her to the singles scene.

But along the way toward showing her what a fun-filled life she can now have, Julie realizes something. None of her friends is really having much fun, and in their lives are great spaces full of lost hopes and dreams.

So Julie’s next idea is to take time off to study the singles phenomenon and afterwards to write a book about it.

Sort of a journey toward finding some answers.

She starts traveling, with one or another of her friends, and visits France, Italy, Argentina, India, Bali, etc. The travels are seemingly endless and her discovery of what single (and married) life looks like in other parts of the world inspires her to try on new experiences. Just to see. Is romantic love a good basis for marriage? What is better or worse about arranged marriages? Does everyone need to be part of a couple to be happy?

Like an anthropological study, but also a way to connect to other women and learn from them, Julie’s experiences bring out her own fears and dash some of her hopes. What will happen to Julie afterwards? And what about her friends back in the states who are also going through their own trial journeys? Like Serena, who tried a spiritual journey, but left the cult disappointed. Or how about Ruby, who thinks single parenting is the answer for her? What will she discover? And finally, Georgia learns that sometimes you uncover a host of insecurities that seemingly spiral outward from the initial rejection, but in the end, you realize some valuable things about what you need.

And on the last leg of their journey, the women discover something unexpected: they have formed a connection to one another. And in a ritual they discover in Iceland, where they all converge toward the end, they realize that they can let their expectations go.

How to Be Single: A Novel is narrated in the first person by Julie, whose thoughts and feelings fill the pages, and who is not the least bit afraid to show her darkest moments. In some ways, though, the experiment smacked of massive self-absorption. A study of what privileged women might do to make sense of their world. A fictional tale that felt like a memoir, however, and like a conversation with the narrator.

While I found many parts of the book fun and enjoyed laughing at how each of the women seemed unafraid of looking vulnerable, I didn’t feel that connected to any of the characters. Their lives did not resonate for me, and the whole thing felt too reminiscent of Eat, Pray, Love. But for those who enjoy stories about New York women, or privileged women looking for love, you might like this one. For me: 3.5 stars.

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A GOLDEN COUPLE, TARNISHED BY LIFE

Julia and Joe Ferraro were living the dream life in Manhattan with a gorgeous Upper West Side apartment, an Amagansett beach house, and two gorgeous kids who attended elite private schools.

They met when Julia was an edgy East Village girl who wrote music reviews for the Village Voice and threw parties in a gritty downtown loft, and when Joe was a shy, awkward drama student who followed her around like a lovesick puppy.

Years later, in the midst of this wonderful life, the two are attending a dinner and enjoying the kudos Joe is receiving as a famous star on a popular TV series, including a Golden Globe nomination. Julia’s early promise has not been realized, and she finds herself without any purpose except as a housewife and mother and an accessory in her husband’s life. The slight empty feeling has no justification, she tells herself, even as she reminds herself how lucky she is. But on that fateful night, she picks up Joe’s phone to check messages, thinking it’s her own phone, and hears the sultry, sexy voicemail message from a mystery woman.

Over the next part of the story, we suffer, along with Julia, as she slides from one emotion to the next, landing squarely in the land of ambivalence, where she creates rationalizations to explain everything away. But then, finally, she turns to obsessive, almost stalker-like behavior as she tries to make sense of what her life has become.

In Outtakes From a Marriage, Leary’s characters are so richly developed that I felt like I had been dropped right into their world, moving amongst them and feeling their pain. Especially the women characters. Joe seemed more like a mannequin to me, with the exception of some clearly defined and appealing characteristics.

One of the book’s finest moments came as Julia’s memories, from childhood, from her youth, and from the early marriage filtered through at the darkest moments, sprinkling a bit of hope onto the angst-ridden scenes.

What will Julia decide about her husband and her marriage? Is he or is he not a philandering creep, or is there something salvageable about him? Should she support him and stand by him throughout his Golden Globe red carpet moments, or should she leave him standing? These and other answers gradually come in the final pages, but in the end, the author leaves the reader speculating.

I awarded this book four stars, because although it was a more in-depth exploration of celebrity life than many similar tales, the themes were somewhat predictable.

A NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTED BY ITS DOGS….

They almost seem to be living on an isolated island, with their solitary pursuits and their quirky habits. We meet them one by one, introduced by the unidentified narrator, who seems to be another person in the neighborhood that we never meet.

Jody is a blond music teacher, living alone in her studio apartment in the West Side neighborhood in New York. The block featured in this novel is described as “not fashionable,” but the appeal is its proximity to the park, as well as its rent-controlled apartments. Jody has lived here since she graduated college.

Polly is youthful and ebullient, and she and her brother George move in after she and her boyfriend break up. An apartment becomes available when someone dies. George seemingly flits from woman to woman, never settling on one.

Everett is divorced, his daughter is in college, and his solitary existence seems bleak. Others describe him as like an “old maid.”

Simon is a social worker, also living on the block since college graduation eighteen years before. He works with people, but has no affinity for them. He prefers his solitude.

At the end of the block, two gay men run the Go Go Grill, where many of the neighbors end up at one time or another, and often frequently.

We see this neighborhood as one that could become a community, but something seems to be missing. Then we meet the dogs, one by one. As the owners walk them, they notice the other neighbors walking their dogs. The dogs are the glue that connects the people in this rather isolated cell of a neighborhood. In fact, even at the Go Go Grill, dogs are allowed and the owners have their own dogs lolling about.

Gradually some of the neighbors develop friendships and even relationships. But everything seems centered around the dogs. As if they are the most significant aspect in each connection. Like most novels, there are love connections, but the people seem to be pairing off with the wrong partners. Toward the end of the novel, some of these unlikely matches come undone and others are made.

One resident of the neighborhood sets off a jarring note. She hates dogs and is on a campaign to “clean up” the streets. If she can’t eliminate dogs completely, she wants to make it difficult for them and their owners. Her behavior and pursuits add some drama to the story. Otherwise it would go along, shifting from one character to the next, with scarcely anything at all to break the monotony of these characters’ lives.

I liked the story, but would have enjoyed it more if I’d really cared about the characters. They all seemed so bland that I sometimes wanted to shake them up a bit, just so they could see how their somewhat passive existence could be improved. But then again, their story is a unique study of people who’ve settled into patterns in their daily lives in a vibrant city, yet live almost like onlookers.

Because of the blandness and the disconnectedness (without the dogs) of the characters, and the somewhat plodding nature of the tale, I’m giving The New Yorkers: A Novel four stars.

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