Lists: Twelve Books that Talk About Marriage

Marriages are made in heaven. Or are they? Here are twelve books that talk about marriage.

1. Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple

I adored the read. It was a heart wrenching tale of choices, a marriage and two women. This is the story of an ordinary family torn apart by the entry of a French woman named Louise. Whipple’s masterful writing engages the reader in an emotional turmoil throughout the novel.

Someone at a Distance was a favourite read of 2016 and also made it to my list of  Ten Books that Crashed on me like a Tidal Wave – Its Personal .

2. A Lady and her Husband by Amber Reeves

Another wonderful read from Persephone Books. I immensely enjoyed the novel by Amber Reeves that talks about ‘finding your place in a man’s world.’ When Mary’s children are grown up and left home to lead their own lives, she decides to venture out of the four walls of her comfortable home and see the world outside. She is met with shocking realities that question her place both in the society and household. The book made it to my Favourite books in the Second Half of 2016.

3. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller

Swimming Lessons, published in 2017, is an amazing portrayal of marriage. I will be putting up a review soon. I absolutely adored the novel. A part of the novel is written in the form of novels from Ingrid, who disappeared years ago, to her husband. Each letter, hidden in a book, reveals a bit more about the love between the couple, the marriage and the secrets between them. A page turner for sure.

4. The Wife by Meg Wolitzer

“The moment I decided to leave him, the moment I thought, enough, we were thirty-five thousand feet above the ocean, hurtling forward but giving the illusion of stillness and tranquility. Just like our marriage.”

Those are the opening lines of the novel. Wow!

5. Light Years by James Salter

The story of Nedra and Viri, whose life is centered around dinners, ingenious games with their children, enviable friends, and near-perfect days passed skating on a frozen river or sunning on the beach. But even as he lingers over the surface of their marriage, Salter lets us see the fine cracks that are spreading through it, flaws that will eventually mar the lovely picture beyond repair. (from Goodreads blurb)

6. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

Yet another book that made it to my Favourite reads in the Second Half of 2016. Written in two parts in the POV of the husband (Fates) and the wife (Furies), this is a story of looking back on a near perfect marriage and the imperfections in it. I found the novel to be ‘unsettling and surprising‘ when I reviewed it.

7. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Though marriage is only one of the many themes of the novel, Woolf lingers for a great while to introduce the reader to the marriage between Mr and Mrs. Ramsay. We see how Mrs. Ramsay singlehandedly hold the whole family together while her husband is more of an attention demanding person who needs to be frequently pacified and praised about his work.

8. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

Set in the Jazz age, Z is the story of the acclaimed novelist Scott Fitzgerald and his witty, perhaps scandalous wife, Zelda. The novel is more of who Zelda really is other than the wife of the famous novelist. But there are glimpses into the marriage.

9. Desperate Characters by Paula Fox

Otto and Sophie lead a very comfortable life in Brooklyn. When Sophie is bitten on the hand while trying to feed a stray cat, a series of small unfortunate events begin to plague the Bentwoods’ lives. And this prises open the truths in their marriage and in society.

10. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Commonwealth is the story of two families, Cousins and Keatings. When Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating’s christening party uninvited and kisses Franny’s mother, it results in the dissolution of two marriages. But the six kids start to have a special relationship among themselves.

11. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Hadley Richardson and Ernest Hemingway, the novelist, embark on a courtship that ends in marriage and sets sail for Paris. They are part of the Lost Generation that includes Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein.  The couple begins to face crisis in their married life. This book would be a perfect accompaniment for Z: A novel of Zelda Fitzgerald.

12. This Must be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell

Daniel Sullivan is a  New Yorker living in Ireland. His kids are in California, he has a father in Brooklyn with whom he is on bad terms with and his wife, Claudette is an ex-film star. When he finds out something about a woman with whom he lost touch with, does the marriage suffer or does he stay with Claudette?