We Are Too Many: A Memoir (Kind of)

Novelist Pittard (Visible Empire) recounts the marriage-ending affair between her husband and best friend in this bold and inventive memoir. In snippets of conversations—some real, some imagined—presented like scenes from a playscript, Pittard peels back layers of betrayal and deception to chronicle what comes to look like an inevitable end. As Pittard and her husband, Patrick, trade barbs over domestic matters, deep fissures over finances and professional success are revealed. Readers easily come to see why this was “a marriage that was destined to fail,” but Pittard wisely doesn’t dwell on the usual litany of faults of a bad ex. In the final section, where Pittard writes plaintively about her friend Trish, the full scale of her loss is felt, and it’s here that she finds true pathos. She shows how she was captivated by Trish, a woman who radiated cool confidence and who seduced her with flattery but also exploited the insecurities that Pittard confided in her: “She was my balm and my diversion, even as her treatment of me as a possible competitor fueled my physical insecurities.” Pittard’s frankness stings, and the stripped-down format makes this all the more potent. It’s a powerhouse. (May)