Engels review:
If you are married to a garrulous, messy, open-hearted woman, how come your first wife was measured, neat and cool? You have loved them both, yet they are binary opposites. What does this say about you, and which one was a mistake?

This marital doubt is a significant theme of Katherine Heiny’s first novel, which is centred on Graham, who is newly reacquainted with Elspeth, whom he dumped for much younger Audra.
Heiny's novel dishes up amusing riffs on marriage, misfits, and finicky eaters, plus some wonderfully on-target descriptions, like "the dreaded starfish position" which a kid assumes in the middle of his parents' bed. She has a wicked ear for quirky speech patterns, including Audra's run-on free associations, and another mother's closed loops of conversation, asking and answering her own questions. At a bizarre dinner party, Graham and Elspeth tap into their old "marital code" as their "eyes caught for a second, like two coat hangers before you shake them free of each other."

Standard Deviation is fun, but like Audra, it goes on too long and starts to wear you down. By piling on too many episodes, it loses its delightful breeziness. Which is a shame, because Heiny clearly has what it takes to join the elite coterie of witty social satirists who turn out smart, lively charmers.