Jane Fallon’s first novel, Getting Rid of Matthew, has a great premise: Helen has been Matthew’s mistress for four years, but when he finally leaves his wife and two daughters and moves in with her, Helen finds it’s not what she wanted after all. But Matthew has given up a lot to be with Helen and he’s not about to give her up. Unless she gives him some very good reasons to, that is.
So Helen sets about a campaign to drive Matthew away: amongst other things, she stops shaving her legs, slums about the house in her scruff, stops having sex with him and befriends his ex-wife (under a pseudonym).
Helen isn’t a particularly likeable character - after four years of begging Matthew to leave his wife, she decides she doesn’t want him within days - but Jane Fallon skillfully made me like her anyway and I really wanted everything to work out for her. She makes a lot of mistakes, but she accepts them and wants to do the best, not just for herself but for (almost) everyone around her.
This is a very funny and entertaining book with some lovely characters. There’s nothing particularly new here - bitchy work colleagues, snotty step-children, feisty best friend - but it seems ‘modern’ somehow, not tired or old hat at all. Jane Fallon was a producer of This Life and Teachers and the same sensibility is evident in her first novel. She doesn’t take things too seriously, but manages to get to the emotional crux of the matter without mawkishness.
I only have one criticism: there is a major plot twist given away in the back cover blurb. If I hadn’t known in advance what was going to happen, it would have been much more entertaining, so poo to Penguin for spoiling my fun!
I found Getting Rid of Matthew hard to put down and I can’t wait for Jane Fallon’s next book. A major new chick lit* talent!
* Though Jane describes Getting Rid of Matthew as “hen lit” or “old boiler lit.”
Rating: 4 out of 5
Like this? Try The Rise and Fall of a Yummy Mummy** by Polly Williams
** with apologies to Getting Rid of Matthew's Helen, who hates the term "yummy mummy"!