Sexual Detours

At a time when, according to Hein, nearly 70% of married men and 60% of married women admit to having been unfaithful, Hein believes that affairs can be a way to search for identity; to avoid profound life issues, anxiety and the often frightening intimacy of marriage; to provide an immediate sense of self-esteem or power; and, at times, even to sustain the marriage itself. Hein emphatically asserts that an affair is always a ""cover story"" for something going on inside the person doing it. After revealing some pretty dismal statistics about the possibilities for successful future marriages after a divorce brought about by infidelity, she offers practical advice on ending the affair, healing old wounds from early childhood, deepening intimacy and ultimately saving the marriage. (Even so, she reports that 65% of marriages faced with an affair do not recover from it.). Writing with clarity, and armed with numerous case studies drawn from her own practice, Hein provides a fresh look at old, unrealistic notions of romantic love and paves the way to a more mature and responsible view of marriage and fidelity. Agent, Kim Witherspoon. (May)