The Exes

"We'll call ourselves the Exes," says Lilly, one of the four voices in Pagan Kennedy's latest novel "The Exes." "And the thing is, we will be exes -- everyone in the band will have gone out with someone else in the band."Hank, Lilly's ex-boyfriend who's still has indention marks on his body from sleeping in her art supply-infested bed, wonders what he ever saw in her as a lover, but realizes they have a better, purer kind of connection through music. Now all they need is another ex-couple to fill in on bass and drums.Enter bass prodigy Shazia, a "good Muslim girl" turned bisexual rock star and her ex, Walt, a manic-depressive scientist who spends his free time hammering on the walls and working at the post office. This prefab foursome rises to local fame in Boston's musical underground with whip-smart grungy songs about dismemberment and Band-Aids. Lilly leads the band onstage, while Hank acts as manager, evoking more and more resentment within the ranks as the Exes charm college audiences along the East Coast. Each finds love with non-bandmates, but of course there's the inevitable sexual tension on tour and plenty of nasty in-fighting.Kennedy has separated the story into four parts -- each character gets a long chapter to move the tale along. At some point in the chapter, its respective character gives the reason for staying close to their former lovers: "At this point, we're like family." Unfortunately, while each voice is well-crafted with details and background, they all sound relatively the same. Hank and Lilly come first, but by the time Shazia and Walt have a go at the action, ex-couple #1 become less sympathetic rather than more developed. The novel leaves off without truly resolving anything about the band's future, and for its expensive price tag, the reader doesn't get much more than a few hours worth of story. That's not to say "The Exes" isn't entertaining. Kennedy nails the punk rock scene with allusions to great bands gone bad and the sights and smells of it all (the heady odor of a freshly unwrapped CD is compared to "sugar dissolved in brake fluid" and "an acid trip coming on".) Lilly's hyperactive megalomania is amusing, and the descriptions of her dreadlocks and striped stockings summon images of every Haight Street wannabe this side of the Mississippi. Shazia is by far the most interesting Ex, the way she shrouds her religious origins from the rest of the band and has her own reasons for not wanting to be famous. Walt gets the short shrift by having to finish up the Exes' story; Kennedy saddles her weakest character with this task while revealing his thoughts last. The hardest part of succeeding with a multiple-voiced book is not invalidating each version of "reality" with every new character (Russell Banks pulls this off masterfully in "The Sweet Hereafter".) "The Exes" is certainly sexy, with all the pseudo-incestuous affairs designed to titillate cynical twentysomething minds. And, c'mon, we all wish we were hip enough to be in an indie band on the brink of stardom. Kennedy captures the mood for sure, but leaves a reader wishing she got more for her money."The Exes," by Pagan Kennedy. New York: Simon & Schuster. 192pp. $22