The not wives
(Book)

The Not Wives traces the lives of three women as they navigate the Occupy Wall Street movement and each other. In the midst of economic collapse and class conflict, late-night hookups and polyamorous girlfriends, they piece together a new American identity of resistance--against financial precarity, gentrifying New York, and the traditional role of a wife.

New York, during the Occupy Wall Street movement. Stevie is a nontenured professor and recently divorced single mom; her best friend Mel is a bartender, torn between her long-term girlfriend and a desire to explore polyamory; and Johanna is a homeless teenager trying to find her way in the world. In the midst of economic collapse and class conflict, late-night hookups and long-suffering exes, the three women piece together a new American identity founded on resistance-- against the looming shadow of financial precarity, the gentrification of New York, and the traditional role of a wife. -- adapted from front flap