Mr. and Mrs. American Pie

Maxine Hortence has the perfect life in 1969 Palm Springs, until her husband reveals at Thanksgiving dinner that he's leaving her for his pregnant secretary. Banished to Scottsdale following her public meltdown, Maxine sets out to prove she's perfect housewife material by entering Mr. and Mrs. American Pie, a beauty pageant for America's best housewife. There's just one problem: Maxine needs a family. She ropes her closeted bartender into marrying her, gets two offbeat kids from her apartment complex to pretend to be her children, and sets out to win the competition by hook or by crook.

Mr. and Mrs. American Pie is a bawdy, hilarious, and heartfelt novel that recalls the humor of Maria Semple and the smarts of Jami Attenberg.