The Exes [Hardcover]

Pagan Kennedy is one of those occasionally maligned writers who makes their home in the narrow purgatory between serious literature and pop kitsch. With a vision that seems to have been shaped by equal measures of too many postmodern lit. courses in college and a youth composed of watching Three's Company on TV, Kennedy and other writers of her ilk are too often either unfairly dismissed or hugely overrated. In reality, they are doing what all authors, in the end, do -- recording their world as they see it. Occasionally, a great work of art emerges (such as Michael Chabon's Wonderboys) and occasionally, the result is an all-out fiasco (i.e., the career of Bret Easton Ellis). And much more frequently, the result is a book crafted with obvious intelligence that still remains frustratingly uneven and perfect example of this is Kennedy's novel the Exes.

Taking place in the independent music scene of Boston, the Exes tells the story of an up-and-coming band that is made up exclusively of ex-lovers. While this might seem to be a bit too cute and gimmicky, Kennedy very adroitly acknowledges the gimmick behind the band and makes no secret of the fact that her characters pursue the idea more as an exercise in advertising than anything else. To her credit, Kennedy also proceeds to rather intelligently investigate the ramifications of such a gimmick and she treats the whole idea with a comendable and clear-eyed seriousness. She doesn't just coast on that one idea and that alone sets her book above a lot of other recent fiction. As well, Kennedy obviously knows the world of underground music and, when dealing with the gossipy and incestous nature of Boston's indie world, her writing snaps with the knowledge of an insider. It makes for exhilirating reading and in these passages, Kennedy truly shines.

She seems less sure when it comes to dealing with the four members of the band. Each gets to "star" in their own section of the book which details the band's story from their own individial perspective. To put it bluntly, some members of the band are far more interesting than others. While the band's "leaders" come across as rather smug and shallow (and therefore, their sections of the story tend to display the same qualities), the two "background" members -- a bisexual bassist and her ex-boyfriend, the drummer -- are both truly fascinating and their two sections are probably the best in the book. As well, the book's "insights" regarding modern relationships, at times, come across as a bit too pat, a bit too easy. On the whole, it makes for an uneven book with a few dead spots that are all the more frustrating because of the incredible talent that Kennedy shows in other more lively sections.

Still, this is a book that is undeniably likeable. Kennedy manages to perfectly capture the atmosphere of vulnerable dreams and insecure posturing that seems to suffuse almost any "underground" scene. Anyone who has ever been in an independent band or a member of any town's local artistic community will recognize the situations and personalities that Kennedy describes in her book. She proves herself to be a keen social observer and commentator. As well, Kennedy manages to pull off something that few other writers have ever succeeded at doing -- she crafts a perfect ending with an absolutely killer last line. Whatever flaws this book may have, one cannot help but like the quirky world that Kennedy describes and be thankful for the chance to share in her undeniable talent.

Pagan Kennedy writes splendidly. The Exes is a mass of energy with distant lightning bolts of real wisdom. One trifling gripe: how can you write a book about a band comprised of ex-lovers and not give the slightest tip o'the hat to the Big (Fleetwood) Mac? They were hip once, too. Anyway, Kennedy's a star.

I've re-read this slim volume a number of times because it's a quick, effortless and enjoyable enough read; I just re-read it again after getting it back from a friend to whom I'd loaned it, and i thought i'd comment.

I should say that this is the only novel of Kennedy's that I've cared for. The structure with the four chapters, each dedicated to a single band member, is a clever device and gives the reader a chance to get into the mind of each character separately.

The character that i felt was most interesting was Shaz, the bass player; she and her section were the most developed back-story-wise, since most of her part is a flashback, but we also get more information and description regarding her family, peeks into her unusual job and her apartment than with any of the other characters. The story of her ex, Walt the drummer, is also enlightening because throughout the rest of the book he comes of as an awkward enigma, so to get into his head at last is fulfilling. Walt's story also gets a different tone from the rest as it's told all in present tense.

I was less inspired by the other characters; Hank, the guitarist, gets fairly typecast as the wannabe rocker whose personality takes a downturn once the band gets going in earnest. His chapter is somewhat skimpy regarding himself since half of it is taken up by information about Lilly, his former girlfriend who comes up with the Exes concept. Given Lilly's personality (a hyperactive, self-centered and somewhat bratty attention hog) it's fairly appropriate that Lilly takes over some of Hank's space, though her section would have been more than enough for the reader regarding her character. Lilly does evolve somewhat as the story progresses, though her whininess remains intact throughout and does get old. The book could have suffered from having these two characters composing the first half of the book (though plot-development-wise it couldn't be any other way, really), but they're not annoying enough to make you put the book away because of them.

A big theme in the book of course is that of relationships, but some aspects of this get strained; one example of this is the appearance of Lilly's new boyfriend Dieter, a cheezy stock intellectual character whose personality completely changes once Hank befriends him. I have a hard time believing that someone of that temperment would even be able to stand Lilly, much less date her, or that his personality would make the complete 180 that it does, even with Hank's trying to shape him. Also, it's hard to imagine Shaz and Walt ever dating (Walt's section delves into this somewhat), though for the purpose of the story it's a necessary device.

This book is more about the characters than the actual music, which is fine since it's hard to get a sense of their music without actually being able to hear it, though there are some lyrics sprinkled throughout. I wasn't bothered by the lack of the techincal aspect, though perhaps this would frustrate a more musically-inclined reader.

This book comes across as slightly dated now as it's set in the mid-late 90s alternative rock scene, so references like miniskirts with combat boots and the like seem a little stale, but overall that doesn't detract from the whole.
This book is decent as a quick read; if you try to take it too seriously and are hoping for a "High Fidelity" or such you'll probably be disappointed. Still, it's worthwhile.

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