Synopses & Reviews
In one of the most critically acclaimed novels of recent years, Pagan Kennedy takes readers on a hip and hilarious tour of today's rock 'n' roll world. The Exes, an up-and-coming indie band, is made up of people who used to be lovers. Progressing from jam sessions in a basement to second-rate clubs to a cross-country tour that requires them to share seedy hotel rooms -- with their exes -- the four band members reveal their quirks, their problems, and their fantasies in alternating narratives.
Wickedly funny, realistic, and poignant, The Exes sheds a knowing light on the compromises and connections we all make in avid pursuit of our ambitions and dreams.
Review
"[A] witty, sincere, if fluffy saga....Touchingly open and amusing, though the story, barely distinguishable from standard sitcom fare, suffers from a cloying feel-goodness. Every character's so likable, and so conventional, that Kennedy defeats her own purpose." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[G]ood-humored and often sly....Kennedy roots her people in a real place and time, and works the humor and in-jokes inherent to these. But she also portrays the loneliness and aimlessness that come to young adults starting life in the city. Hip as they are, her people connect and disconnect like any others, and The Exes has their beat." Clea Simon, The Boston Globe
Review
"By avoiding gimmicks, Kennedy comes up with a breezy work that is a knowing and smartly conceived examination of relationships in general, which can be as uplifting as a Motown drum fill or as clumsy as a teenager's first attempt at bar chords. As befits someone who's written loudly and often on such topics Kennedy has also written books on zine-making, '70s kitsch and other hipster talismans The Exes is propelled by a healthy dose of hip references, from Snoopy blankets to Star Trek episodes to Superfly. But Kennedy's finest passages uncover the emotions the band members go through, stripping off their poses and gas station-attendant jackets to reveal their insecurities....What Nick Hornby did for the insufferable record geek in High Fidelity, Kennedy does for the touring rock musician: makes him (and her) real and layered. It offers a basic 4/4 beat, something you can groove to, but underneath is a lovely swirl of counter-melodies and sounds that are unfamiliar but engaging." Mark Athitakis, Salon.com
Review
"Set in Boston, and told from the different band members' points of view, the novel bounces along with many moments of contagious creative synergy." Library Journal
Review
"[A] winning and knowing examination of young adults groping toward maturity....This short tale should appeal to the dreamers as well as YAs seriously interested in indie bands and their music. A funky and vivid story, told in each character's own voice." School Library Journal
Synopsis
In one of the most critically acclaimed novels of recent years, Pagan Kennedy takes readers on a hip and hilarious tour of today's rock 'n' roll world. The Exes, an up-and-coming indie band, is made up of people who used to be lovers. Progressing from jam sessions in a basement to second-rate clubs to a cross-country tour that requires them to share seedy hotel rooms -- with their exes -- the four band members reveal their quirks, their problems, and their fantasies in alternating narratives.
Wickedly funny, realistic, and poignant, The Exes sheds a knowing light on the compromises and connections we all make in avid pursuit of our ambitions and dreams.
About the Author
Pagan Kennedy is the author of the acclaimed novel Spinsters, which was short-listed for Britain's Orange Prize for fiction, as well as Stripping and Other Stories, Pagan Kennedy's Living, Platforms: A Microwaved Cultural Chronicle of the 1970s, and 'Zine. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, she lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Table of Contents
ContentsI. Hank
II. Lilly
III. Shaz
IV. Walt