Marriage | Book Chatter

Revolutionary Road
By Richard Yates
(Vintage, Paperback, 9780307454621, November 2008, 368pp.)

“I’m only interested in stories that are about the crushing of the human heart.”
― Richard Yates

The Short of It:

An intimate glimpse of a marriage in ruin.

The Rest of It:

Sounds appealing, doesn’t? I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I ate it up and although far from being a happy tale, it was satisfying in ways that I may have trouble describing here.

Although it was originally published in 1961, this story has timeless elements that appealed to me. Frank and April Wheeler are young and in love. Caught-up with one another and their mutual quest to live the American dream, they marry and buy a house on Revolutionary Road. Not just any house. A perfect house in the middle of suburban splendor. The story alternates between the present and the past and it becomes apparent to the reader very early on, that the marriage is falling apart. As Yates takes us through their years together, we begin to see the decline that they see, but choose to ignore until it’s too late.

The writing blew me away. It was poetic without going over your head and Yates somehow manages to deliver characters that you can’t stand, yet can ultimately relate to. I did not like these people. They were selfish and blind to what was in front of them, and they were miserable and suffering (often from their own doing) yet… there was something about them that I loved. It was if I knew these people personally.

Every time I opened the book, I was like a voyeur, pushing the curtains aside to get a peek at this disastrous couple. It felt wrong, but it also felt so right. It was tragic and honest and unflinchingly real. I absolutely loved it.

I know there is a movie tie-in, as evidenced by the cover photo, but I haven’t seen the movie yet. Have you?

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

The Odds
By Stewart O’Nan
(Viking Adult, Hardcover, 9780670023165, January 19, 2012, 192pp.)

The Short of It:

A brutally honest look at a marriage in crisis.

The Rest of It:

In all my years as a reader, I’ve never read an O’Nan novel. Boy, have I been missing out.

Art and Marion Fowler ditch their soon-to-be foreclosed home for Niagara Falls, hoping to recoup enough money to save their home and their marriage. The odds are against them, in more ways than one but as they rent the “bridal” suite for one last Valentine’s hurrah, one remains hopeful where the other has totally and utterly given up hope.

From the very first page, it’s clear that Marion is going along with Art’s plan as a way to humor him, or perhaps…she feels obligated to give it one last shot just so she can say that she tried everything in her power to make it work. Regardless, what she is is a broken woman at the end of her rope, hoping to close this chapter so she can move on to the next stage of her life. She’s not entirely convinced that gambling can save them, but she gives it a go for Art’s sake.

Art however, is the opposite. Inside, he knows that the marriage is coming to a close but he’s not ready to throw in the towel. Not quite yet. He’s optimistic to a fault but somehow, you can’t hold that against him. Jobless and wanting nothing more than to provide for his family, he sees this trip as a solution to their problems. Additionally, he has decided to ask Marion to marry him all over again. To start fresh, even if they can never go back to the life they knew so well.

Since the odds of recouping what they need to save the house are slim to none, they continue to squander money by way of their maxed-out credit card, living it up until they are basically told that they no longer can. Fine dinners, champagne and visiting all of the tourist traps that looked much more appealing the first time around. It’s heartbreaking, really.

But as sad and heartbreaking as so much of it was, I adored it. This story is all about second chances and when O’Nan goes into the heads of these characters, he must come out exhausted because these characters are complex characters with real worries and pressures. Ink on paper one second, living and breathing creatures the next. Amazing.

I can’t compare this book to his others since this was my first experience with O’Nan, but if the character development in his other books is anything like it was here, then I will be reading more of his books in the near future.

Source: Sent to me by the publisher via Net Galley.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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