Getting Rid of Matthew

Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon

If you are looking for a nice light read that will both make you laugh and make you think about things, please pick up a copy of Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon. Helen is a forty year old "other woman".  She has been involved with Matthew, her boss (who is in his late fifties) for four and a half, long, soul-searching, best-friend stay up all night analyzing his every word, years.  Suddenly (practically on page 10!) he leaves his wife and shows up on Helen's doorstep.  This very odd book, this very humourous odd book, takes off from there.  Helen, it turns out, LIKES being home in her apartment alone, eating take out from a container and watching old movies in her pajamas.  Suddenly, this thing, this being she wanted so desperately is ALL HERS.   And...from there launches our tale. 
This book is very sweet, in its own oddball way.  It kindly portrays the foilbles of all the main characters; the loving, hurt wife, the philandering husband, the long in the tooth Bridget Jones other woman, even her best friend Rachel who is about to embark on her own marriage.  Along the way, Ms. Fallon illuminates the various stages of relationships and of a womans relational needs, for a lover, a partner, a best friend, and finally, for her sense of her self.