I didn’t even think that I would like the women characterized in The Spare Wife by Alex Witchel, and I certainly didn’t think that they would be women who I would want to befriend, but both of these turned out to be true. Not only that, but as I learned more about their twisted and dysfunctional lives, I had compassion for them.
The cast of characters include:
- Babette is a young ambitious climber who will do anything to get ahead
- Shawsie is a woman who found love late in life, and is now desperately trying to have a baby
- Her husband is known for his extra-curricular marital activities
- Neil, the famous fertility doctor who is treating her, seems to have it all
- and of course Ponce, the former model and gold-digging trophy wife, who is now the “Spare Wife” to so many.
The lives that these wealthy New Yorkers live is completely foreign to me, but often that’s what makes fiction such an escape. The Spare Wife is a great novel for those of you who enjoy peeking into the lives of the rich and famous.
This book was provided for review by Mother-Talk.
Managing Editor Jennifer Donovan also blogs at Snapshot about life with her tween daughter and preschool son.