Julia Glass is the author of Three Junes, which won the 2002 National Book Award for Fiction. Currently she’s at work on a novel about marriage and happiness, and here chooses her favorite works of fiction portraying the agony and ecstasy of married life.
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (Penguin, $10). This is the most exquisitely written, structurally ambitious book I’ve ever read. Gwendolen Harleth—a shrewd, self-possessed woman (and my all-time favorite heroine)—enters a mutually opportunistic marriage, unable to imagine how dark is the path it will lead her down or how badly her heart will be broken.
The Half-life of Happiness by John Casey (Knopf, $14). A rich, magnanimous layer cake of a novel in which the breakup of a longtime, seemingly solid marriage is set against the backdrop of a political campaign (as if to say, “And you thought true love the trickiest of human aspirations?”).
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sandcastle by Iris Murdoch (Penguin, $15). This is the most moving novel I have ever read about an affair: what it means to risk everything, including your conscience, for the sake of passion—and, on the other side, for the sake of holding together your family, however imperfect.
The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter (Knopf, $13). I’ve read few books more aptly titled than this one. Baxter’s astute but quirky eye is like a prism, parsing romantic love—committed, erotic, long-suffering, one-sided, catastrophic, youthful—into almost all its possible hues.
Mystery Ride by Robert Boswell (out of print). This is a very American novel about love, marriage, divorce, and raising kids (one of them a hilariously wicked teenage girl). Boswell doesn’t just tell a good, suspenseful story, but composes a portrait of family life in a world where sensible choices often leave us with enduring regret.
Selected Stories of Andre Dubus
-
‘This estrangement from death has beget euphemisms’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Political cartoons for October 30Cartoons Thursday's political cartoons include missing SNAP benefits, working without pay, and Graham Platner's terrible tattoo
-
Should Labour break manifesto pledge and raise taxes?Today's Big Question There are ‘powerful’ fiscal arguments for an income tax rise but it could mean ‘game over’ for the government
-
Beth Macy’s 6 favorite books about living in a divided nationFeature The journalist recommends works by Nicholas Buccola, Matthew Desmond, and more
-
Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
-
Nathan Harris’ 6 favorite books that turn adventures into revelationsFeature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McGuire, and more
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytellingFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
-
Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite books about women overcoming difficultiesFeature The author recommends works by Tove Jansson, Lauren Groff, and more
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is moreFeature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
