The Ex-Wives - Deborah Moggach

Deborah Moggach has quickly become one of my favorite authors. She's witty and wise, both acerbic and warm. While her writing explores human follies and - sometimes - the way we hurt each other, I ultimately finish her novels feeling happier than I was before I read them.

The Ex-Wives is the story of two protagonists: Russell Buffery, known as Buffy, an aging, forgotten actor who lives in an appallingly ugly and messy London flat with his dog, George; and Celeste, a young girl who recently lost her mother and moved to London from Melton Mowbray. From the moment they meet, Buffy takes - shall we say - an earnest interest in Celeste. Celeste is receptive, to a point, and a friendship blossoms between the two. While Buffy wants the friendship to grow into something more, Celeste keeps him at bay and begins to dig into his colorful past, seeking out the various women who had figured large in Buffy's life - the titular Ex-Wives, though not all are actually wives.

Moggach movingly portrays the various vulnerabilities of Buffy and Celeste. Buffy has to cope with his fading sex appeal and withering career, and a terrible fear of loneliness as old age approaches. Celeste, meanwhile, is all alone in the world after her mother's death. She is young and inexperienced, not to mention slightly provincial, having been cosseted by her parents, but she is not as naïve and gentle as it would appear. Moggach writes:

Her fragile grace and inky eyes gave her the look of an antelope, startled by an intruder, but like all impressions this was partially misleading. In fact she had a stubborn streak, and was very good at maths. Her nimble fingers had made her Cats Cradle Champion at her primary school. She was logical. Columns of figures were to be one of her few reassurances in the tumultuous year that lay ahead. 

As you can perhaps tell from even this brief excerpt, Moggach has a wry, lovely style - her prose is lively, funny, and very genuine.

Celeste and Buffy are both wonderfully realized, human characters, and they are a joy to spend the novel with, but part of the novel's charm lies in the gallery of Buffy's women. There is buttoned-up, capable career woman Penny, with her exasperated fondness for Buffy's disordered ways; neurotic Jacquetta, who left Buffy for a therapist - her therapist; Lorna, a taciturn near-hermit; and several others. These women are marvelously drawn and brimming with life - even when they're less than lovable, they are memorable and portrayed with real warmth.

The Ex-Wives is a lot of fun, but it's also an intelligent, empathetic read - though it may seem like a light, frothy read, there is a lot of substance here, too. This bubbly mixture of humor and humane insight is Moggach's trademark - and it comes very highly recommended.