Straight Up and Dirty
by Stephanie Klein
Published by Regan
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Reviewed by Jenny Salyers
Stephanie Klein is living her dreams. Happily married to her husband
Gabe, a medical student, she is several months pregnant, and is happily ignoring the problems with the relationship to keep this life that she loves. Never mind the fact that 1) Gabe's mother hates her (for not being good enough for her son, and other strongly implied reasons,),2) that she and Gabe had to hide the fact that they eloped for three months because Gabe was afraid to tell his parents; and 3) that he is increasingly gone from home.
Suddenly Stephanie's dream life is spiraling into her nightmare of being a divorcee shortly after she discovers that Gabe has been cheating on her for several months with an older woman.
Straight Up and Dirty collects Stephanie's recollections of that first year after her divorce. She struggles with jumping back into the dating scene much to soon after the divorce. We the readers are treated to her stories of trying to juggle "two dates and a spare" (on advice from her therapist), and of being a small fish in the Manhattan dating scene at the ripe old age of "almost thirty." Through her stories, we are witnesses to her triumphs and dramas as she learns to love herself for herself and not need to be in a relationship, grieves through her divorce, a breakup of a several month relationship (the first after her divorce), and the transformation from a woman who is afraid to love again to someone who is proud of herself and finding love unexpectedly.
Stephanie Klein shares the triumphs and lows she has experienced in her memoirs of becoming an older dater. In a market that is filled with memoirs of life before and after dating, this one stands out with its humor, honesty and attention grabbing stories. This book is a witty way to experience the dating scene in Manhattan, and take part in one woman's journey to find herself and true love. I found this to be a very engaging read and wondered where the time had gone when I finished the book.
Armchair Interviews says: Unique memoir about one woman's dating in
her 30s.