cover image Not Waving

Not Waving

Sarah Grazebrook. Trafalgar Square Publishing, $18.95 (164pp) ISBN 978-0-09-168110-4

In this episodic first novel set in contemporary England, Grazebrook writes with humor and pathos about two disintegrating marriages. Much of the book concerns Ginny and Raymond Jeavons, a bickering couple with two rambunctious youngsters. At 37, Ginny enlivens her stagnant life by having an affair with Mitchell. Businessman Raymond succumbs to the flattering attentions of Helen, a young secretary, and moves in with her. During these upheavals, Eileen, Mitchell's bored and unhappy wife, despairing of conceiving a child, begins a liaison with Gerry. Each of the characters in these extramarital romances hopes for fulfillment and stability, which prove gallingly elusive. Though this story is slight, it is enhanced by memorable moments that bring the characters into clearer focus: when Ginny weeps after Raymond's departure, her four-year-old son tenderly consoles her; Raymond finds himself ill-equipped to handle his children during an outing filled with humorous mishaps; Helen's vulgar stepfather visits her and Raymond unannounced, leaving the girl desperately humiliated in front of her beloved. This is a trenchant, sympathetic, ably written commentary on the woeful state of modern marriages and relationships. (December)