Meg Wolitzer, a New York novelist specialising in finely observed relationship stories, has used as her jumping-off point Aristophanes' comedy Lysistrata, dating from 411BC, when Athens was bogged down in the Peloponnesian war. It could almost be a Greek play – but not quite. They don't realise at first what has happened, and can't explain the change to their partners, who are left to skulk in their garden sheds while the town, emotionally speaking, freezes over. The women have been unknowingly struck by a spell, which takes the form of a cold – you might say frigid – breeze that quells all sexual desire. Nookie's a no-no, kissing's gone missing.
This battle is playing out under the duvets of Stellar Plains, New Jersey, where the women are confronting their husbands and boyfriends with the most powerful weapon they know: the cold shoulder. This deftly written tale of bewildered women (and their men) is always surprising and always engaging, both funny and serious at the same time, a wonderful read.T here's a war on. "Wolitzer writes of a spell cast upon a town-but she superbly casts it upon the reader as well. The Uncoupling is a novel that can't help but make you think about your own relationship - about what it consists of, what would be left if sex were taken away, how far you'd be prepared to go in order to keep it in your life somewhere, and so on." - Nick Hornby, The Believer "Meg Wolitzer, like Tom Perrotta, is an author who makes you wonder why more people don't write perceptive, entertaining, unassuming novels about how and why ordinary people choose to make decisions about their lives.
"A risky strategy pays off for a smart author whose work both amuses and hits home." - Kirkus Reviews Her fans and readers of women's fiction that's smart and snappy will want this." - Library Journal Wolitzer again tackles a complicated and provocative subject, female sexuality, with creativity and insight. While zestfully exploring the nexus between complacency and desire, Wolitzer's hip, glib, impish scenario shrewdly examines the intricate connections between war and sex and perceptively illuminates the power of timeless literature." - Booklist are intriguing but lack wallop." - Publishers Weekly
"Despite the great premise and Wolitzer's confident prose, the story never really picks up any momentum, and the questions posed.
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