The Encyclopedia of Exes: 26 Stories by Men of Love Gone Wrong [Paperback]

Meredith Broussard (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 2005

What does he really mean when he says: “It’s not you, it’s me”?

Profanity. Egging. Xanax. Oh, the things men (and even some women) will resort to when love’s gone awry. In The Encyclopedia of Exes, some of today’s hippest male writers dig deep into their romantic pasts to present twenty-six inspired pieces of short fiction on heartbreak and failed relationships. Their stories, ranging from the passionate to the cynical to the downright hilarious, address the age-old issue of how and why romance often fails—from a uniquely male perspective. Ever wondered just what men do with their broken hearts, or why they break women’s hearts so often? The Encyclopedia of Exes demystifies the inner workings of the male psyche to the benefit of women everywhere, featuring a broad range of writers.

Anthony by Steve Almond • The Breakup Ceremony by Touré • Car by Matthew Sharpe • Devotion by Adam Langer • Egging by Jeff Johnson • Five by Jonathan Lethem • Geography by Michael Schur • Honesty by Ben Greenman • Innocence by Nick Fowler • John by Joshua Braff • Kiss by Anthony Schneider • Last by Richard Rushfield • Murmur by Panio Gianopoulos • Nightlife by Lee Klein • Over by Jack Murnighan • Profanity by Darin Strauss • Quitting by Dan Guterman • Radio by Sebastian Matthews • Sealed-off by Jonathan Ames • Triangle by Gary Shteyngart • Unambiguous by Ben Schrank • Virginity by Neal Pollack • Winston by Lewis Robinson • Xanax by Marc Spitz • Youth by Justin Haythe • Z by Dan Kennedy • and a Preface by John Aboud

An encyclopedic approach to our most enduring mystery, The Encyclopedia of Exes offers insight, humor, quality writing, and an unparalleled look inside the male mind.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Dictionary of Failed Relationships

“Who needs Webster’s when this dishy dictionary is so much more fun?” —Cosmopolitan

About the Author

A freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Meredith Broussard is the editor of The Dictionary of Failed Relationships. A literature and arts critic at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia City Paper, she has also written for Philadelphia Magazine, the Hartford Courant, the Chicago Reader, and the New York Press.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (September 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400054230
• ISBN-13: 978-1400054237
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.7 x 5.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,642,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars creative collection mostly filled with strong insightful looks at why relationships failed, October 1, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Exes: 26 Stories by Men of Love Gone Wrong (Paperback)

Moving from the female perspective of why relationships failed (see THE DICTIONARY OF FAILED RELATIONSHIPS), THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EXES provides the male point of view. The twenty-six contributions run the gamut, but surprisingly few blame the woman. In fact several of the authors place themselves in the female's moccasins and hold themselves culpable; thus the reader sees a fuller view of the relationship and why it fell apart. Many of the entries are poignant and filled with pathos while others contain nostalgic memories (ignoring the negatives) and even include other types of bi-gender relationships (one for instance showcases a father and daughter struggling with her no longer being his little girl). Still a few inputs come across as inane and shallow. Overall this is a creative collection mostly filled with strong insightful looks at why we failed; a fine companion to its female counter anthology.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The men speak!, October 19, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Exes: 26 Stories by Men of Love Gone Wrong (Paperback)

Women have been heard from (a lot) relative to relationships with men. Meredith Broussard, who has written much on the relationship theme, was often asked, "What about the men?" People wanted to know what men thought and felt about relationships.

Broussard sent out the word to male authors and then compiled these stories of male-version heartbreak into what some might call "lad lit," the guy version of chick lit. All these stories are supposed to be fiction, but maybe not--as some wrote about girlfriends (or how they hoped old girlfriends would have reacted at breakup).

My favorite story, "Nightlife" by Lee Klein is about New York nightlife, that you can get a call from a drinking friend to join them (when the rest of the world is tucked in safely for the night) and arrive at the bar at 1:22 a.m. to spend another couple house drinking and listening to your already-drunk friends wax poetic about relationships. Drunk friends...remember them from college and later growing-up nights out?

These 26 men didn't mince words, even though the words are "fiction," crossing ages and kinds of relationships. Some remind me of Ann LaMott's biting humor in her self-effacing way of getting to the point.

Armchair Interviews says: Sharp writing geared to those who worry about misconduct, miscommunication, misgivings and other dating disasters, the A to Z of men speak about relationships.

1.0 out of 5 stars AWFUL, June 22, 2008

By 

Marie (Wichita, KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Exes: 26 Stories by Men of Love Gone Wrong (Paperback)

I went through a break-up a few months back and thought these readings, this one then the Dictionary of Failed Relationships, or whatever it was..would give me some insight or at least entertain me. But no. BOTH were HORRIBLE. I did not enjoy a single story, because they weren't like real stories, I was ALWAYS left wondering what the hell happened at the end of each story. I thought they were going to be accounts of what different couples went through or why they broke up.. but no. Each story was just random and didn't usually have much to do with an actual relationship. I'm probably just so disappointed because this is not what I was expecting and it didn't make me feel good or better in any way, shape or form.