Book Review of The Starter Wife: Divorce LA Style

Gracie Polluck leads a privileged, exclusive, and plasticized existence as a Wife Of. Her husband is a successful producer, and she hobnobs with the rich and famous, exchanging witty repartee with other Wife Ofs at the best restaurants and parties in L.A. Her house is big, her budget is big, her husband is big. But somewhere along the line, she lost herself, and it is in this state of high-maintenance, mind-numbing posturing that she encounters a brick wall: her oafish husband dumps her over the phone after dinner one night for a pop tartlet he just knows will get him on the cover of US Weekly.

In one of my previous lifetimes I might have disdained to read this book, but I found the topic, though somewhat more exaggerated, to hit too close to home, as I navigate the divorce waters these days myself. So I flipped through the first few pages, and got so hooked. This book is a witty, scandalous romp through L.A. haute couture, wherein characters respond in thoroughly human ways to all the highs and lows of divorce, the subsequent fall from grace, and Hollywood etiquette (or lack thereof).

So who was Gracie Polluck, exactly? And where did she go, to be replaced by this Hollywood Barbie Doll? Through the rollercoaster emotions of divorce, she and the reader find out she wasn’t half bad the way she used to be, and with the help of a gold-digging Wife Of a much older man, a hysterical gal pal, and a no-nonsense interior decorator to the stars, she finds herself dating her ex-husband’s boss, reconnecting with her daughter, and getting angry. Interestingly enough, there is also a hottie homeless love interest; an exhibitionist self-stimulator, pooping dogs, nasty Old Money neighbors, lesbians, and outdoor barbequing Mexicans complete the cast.

Though the story is a little fantastical, many of the mannerisms are familiar to anyone who has spent time in L.A. The scenery and hot locations in Hollywood and Malibu are accurate and lend credence to this somewhat unconventional fairytale. Perhaps one could loosely compare it to Diary of a Mad Black Woman, L.A. style. The best way to get even is to move on and forgive the snot who dumped you for Version 2.0, and leave him to his “better” choice, may he choke on it. When the dust settles, Gracie can forgive the Ex, and when she does, she can run like hell after what she really wants.

Normally a book of this genre would be a one-time read, but this one is written with enough wit and hopeful cynicism that you’ll find yourself revisiting from time to time. It’s not so pretentious as to be an intellectual read, but it will entertain the boys and girls without insulting their intelligence, either.