Soulmates: A Novel

"For anyone who has ever suspected something sinister lurking behind the craze of new-age spirituality, Jessica Grose has crafted just the tale for you. With the delicious bite of satire and the page-turning satisfaction of a thriller, Soulmates is a deeply compelling, funny and sharply observed look at just how far we will go to achieve inner peace."—Lena Dunham

A clever, timely novel about a marriage, and infidelity, the meaning of true spirituality, perception and reality from the author of Sad Desk Salad, in which a scorned ex-wife tries to puzzle out the pieces of her husband’s mysterious death at a yoga retreat and their life together.

It’s been two years since the divorce, and Dana has moved on. She’s killing it at her law firm, she’s never looked better, thanks to all those healthy meals she cooks, and she’s thrown away Ethan’s ratty old plaid recliner. She hardly thinks about her husband—ex-husband—anymore, or about how the man she’d known since college ran away to the Southwest with a yoga instructor, spouting spiritual claptrap that Dana still can’t comprehend.

But when she sees Ethan’s picture splashed across the front page of the New York Post—"Nama-Slay: Yoga Couple Found Dead in New Mexico Cave"—Dana discovers she hasn’t fully let go of Ethan or the past. The article implies that it was a murder-suicide, and Ethan’s to blame. How could the man she once loved so deeply be a killer? Restless to find answers that might help her finally to let go, Dana begins to dig into the mystery surrounding Ethan’s death. Sifting through the clues of his life, Dana finds herself back in the last years of their marriage . . . and discovers that their relationship—like Ethan’s death—wasn’t what it appeared to be.

A novel of marriage, meditation, and all the spaces in between, Soulmates is a page-turning mystery, a delicious satire of our feel-good spiritual culture, and a nuanced look at contemporary relationships by one of the sharpest writers working today.

A clever and cunning novel, by the author of Sad Desk Salad, about infidelity, enlightenment, and the difference between perception and reality. In marriage, as in yoga, sometimes the truth is not clear to us until the savasana hits the floor.

 It’s been two years since the divorce and Dana has moved on. She’s killing it at her law firm, she’s eating super clean, and she’s thrown out Ethan’s ratty plaid recliner. Dana hardly thinks about her ex-husband anymore—she almost never dwells on how the man she’d loved since college ran away to the Southwest with a crunchy crop-topped yoga strumpet, spouting spiritual claptrap that she still can’t comprehend.

But when she sees Ethan’s picture splashed across the front page of the New York Post—“Nama-Slay: Yoga Couple Found Dead in New Mexico Cave”—Dana realizes she hasn’t fully let go of Ethan or the past. The press speculates that it was a murder-suicide, and Ethan’s to blame. How could the man she knew be a killer? Anxious to find answers that might give her closure, Dana begins to dig into the mystery surrounding Ethan’s death. Sifting through the clues of his life, Dana finds herself transported back to the final years of their union. . . and discovers that nothing is as it appears to be.

A novel of marriage, murder, and meditation, Soulmates is a delicious page-turner and a timely satire of our feel-good culture, an addictive and nuanced look at contemporary relationships from one of the sharpest writers working today.

“Jessica Grose is a smart, engaging, new voice in fiction. She will make you think anew about celebrity culture, modern feminism, and the perils of living online. She is also very funny. So put your work asies, open your sad desk salad, and read this book!” - Amy Sohn, author of The Actress

Praise for Sad Desk Salad: “A whip-smart, lacerating, laugh-out-loud look at what it’s like to be young, smart and trying to make it in the big city. SAD DESK SALAD is a witty romp, a vivid snapshot of friendship and ambition, and a searing indictment of what women do to themselves--and each other--in their quest to get ahead.” - Jennifer Weiner

“Funny, engaging, and, even given the violent deaths at the center of the story, ultimately lighthearted.” - vogue.com

“A zany whodunit that is compelling, funny, painful and wry, delivered by an author with her finger on the pulse of the current cultural zeitgeist.” - Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“Funny, compelling, delicious and satisfying.” - Lena Dunham

“Soulmates zigzags in a most effective way, lampooning the cult(ure) of spiritual growth as it makes you wonder if you might benefit from a few weeks with a guru. Grose has so much to say about breaking up, being alone, deciding what it means to be an adult.” - Caroline Kepnes, author of You and Hidden Bodies

“I devoured this fast-paced, evocative novel. Jessica Grose has a keen eye for detail, a killer sense of humor, and a gift for building suspense. She had me guessing until the final page.” - J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of Maine and The Engagements

“A whip-smart skewering of modern mysticism told with the urgency of a thriller. You’ll laugh, you’ll roll your eyes knowingly, and you’ll race to the end to find out whodunit.” - Jessica Knoll, New York Times bestselling author of The Luckiest Girl Alive