Siri Hustvedt dissects a long term relationship in this literary but highly enjoyable novel. Mia's husband leaves her, puts her on 'pause' as she terms it, to pursue a younger work colleague. After a complete breakdown Mia retreats to her hometown to examine her self and life without him. Through contacts with her mother's friends and with some teenage girl students she begins to understand what has happened to her and how she might respond. As an english professor/ writer she also examines her experience through the lens of literature and poetry.
In the old wedding service a man and a woman leave their family homes to make their own home and become one . Mia discovers the truth of this as she feels herself torn in two by the break. Their memories and histories had become so entwined that to pull them apart means pulling her self apart.
Whatever your interest - philosophy, literature, psychology - you will find something of interest in this novel, although perhaps it is a little too self- consciously postmodern. I enjoyed the consideration of the mature relationship and what it means to live and merge with someone for several decades.
This one sounds like a book I'd really enjoy. Or maybe I just like the title? =) Thanks for the rec.
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