The Story of a Marriage - Hardcover

"Inspired, lyrical . . . Mr. Greer's considerable gifts as a storyteller ascend to the heights of masters like Marilynne Robinson and William Trevor. . . . [He] seamlessly choreographs an intricate narrative that speaks authentically to the longings and desires of his characters."--S. Kirk Walsh, "The New York Times""A beautiful, lyrical novel . . . a book full of urgent questions."--"O, The Oprah Magazine," Recommended Summer Reading "Andrew Greer writes with an aching clarity of the heart. This is an exquisite story with shattering realizations about love."--Amy Tan, author of "The Joy Luck Club" and "Saving Fish from Drowning""This is a haunting book of breathtaking beauty and restraint."--Dave Eggers, author of "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" and "What Is the What ""Greer doles out revelations with grace and precision. . . . [His] prose is unerringly poetic . . . . What can be seen plainly on every page of this slim, lovely novel is Greer's p "Inspired, lyrical . . . Mr. Greer's considerable gifts as a storyteller ascend to the heights of masters like Marilynne Robinson and William Trevor. . . . [He] seamlessly choreographs an intricate narrative that speaks authentically to the longings and desires of his characters."--S. Kirk Walsh, "The New York Times""A beautiful, lyrical novel . . . a book full of urgent questions."--"O, The Oprah Magazine," Recommended Summer Reading "Andrew Greer writes with an aching clarity of the heart. This is an exquisite story with shattering realizations about love."--Amy Tan, author of "The Joy Luck Club" and "Saving Fish from Drowning""This is a haunting book of breathtaking beauty and restraint."--Dave Eggers, author of "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" and "What Is the What ""Greer doles out revelations with grace and precision. . . . [His] prose is unerringly poetic . . . . What can be seen plainly on every page of this slim, lovely novel is Greer's prodigious talent."--Connie Ogle, "The Miami Herald" "Bewitching . . . A book whose linguistic prowess and raw storytelling power is almost disruptive to the reader. It's too good to put down and yet each passage is also too good to leave behind....Every twenty pages or so, the plot implodes and the characters reveal themselves."--Devorah Vankin, "Los Angeles Times""The chronicle of one marriage, closely and elegantly examined . . . The new novel is built on several narrative surprises that cannot (or should not) be revealed. . . . "The Story of a Marriage" is more than worth the reader's attention. It's thoughtful, complex, and exquisitely written."--Carolyn See, "The Washington Post"

It is 1953 and Pearlie, a dutiful housewife, finds herself living in the Sunset district of San Francisco, caring not only for her husband's fragile health but also for her son, who is afflicted with polio. Then, one Saturday morning, a stranger appears on her doorstep and everything changes. All the certainties by which Pearlie has lived are thrown into doubt as she struggles to understand the world around her, most especially her husband, Holland. "The Story of a Marriage" portrays three people trapped by the confines of their era, and the desperate measures they are prepared to take to escape it.