‘I don’t really trust dating apps’ 

There’s a buzz around Canadian screenwriter and comedian Monica Heisey’s debut novel Really Good, Actually —  a funny and painfully relatable tale about a young divorcee’s

experiences, as she tries to navigate life after a short-lived marriage.It’s already been applauded by acclaimed writers Dolly Alderton, Marian Keyes and American actor/comedian

Rob Delaney.In the novel, the marriage of Toronto-based couple Maggie and Jon implodes shortly after they wed in their late 20s, after being together for a long time. The story

follows the aftermath between Maggie’s 29th and 30th birthdays, in equally funny, absurd and heart-rending slices.Heisey, 34, also married in her late 20s, and divorced after two

years aged 28. But that’s just about where the similarity ends, she explains, and she doesn’t want to dwell on her own marriage break-up.“The starting point of the novel —

a young marriage breaking down after many years together — aligns pretty closely with my own life,” she says. “I wanted to start Maggie somewhere familiar to me and then

take the novel to all these unfamiliar places.”Heisey — who has already enjoyed success with TV screenwriting, having written for Schitt’s Creek, and was involved in the BBC

adaptation of Dolly Alderton’s Everything I Know About Love — now lives in London.She fell in love with the city after doing an early modern literature MA at King’s College

in 2010 — and remained for four years, where she began her writing and comedy career doing improv gigs and stand-up routines.When she returned to Toronto because of dwindling

visa options, Heisey wrote a spoof advice column which was turned into a book, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better, and subsequently joined a writer’s room for a comedy sketch

show with a group of women, which led to her first TV writing job.Heisy has written for Schitt’s Creek.She also got married, divorced quickly, and returned to the UK in 2017.

Like her fictional character, she too dabbled in dating apps post-divorce.“I was interested for Maggie to think about people who’d got into these long-term relationships at

college and come out being single again when the entire dating landscape has changed, not only with apps like Tinder and Hinge. It’s like the Wild West.”Did she have any dating

disasters when she found herself single again? “I’m not a huge user of the apps,” she says, laughing. “I don’t really trust them. I’m much more prone to dating friends,

but most single woman under 40 can tell you a couple of disasters dating on the apps, so I gave them a wide berth.”She agrees there is Millennial disillusionment with life, which