cover image MARRIAGE: A Duet

MARRIAGE: A Duet

Anne Taylor Fleming, . . Hyperion, $20 (190pp) ISBN 978-0-7868-6874-2

Fleming (Motherhood Deferred), a commentator for CNN and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, examines the marital angst that follows infidelity in the two novellas that make up her fiction debut. The conceit is simple: in the first story, "A Married Woman," she outlines the dilemma of the beautiful, reserved Caroline Betts, who knows instantly that her husband, William, is about to have a serious affair with April, the 20-something daughter of a friend of theirs. Caroline, who knows her husband well and is a hawk-eyed observer of his moods and expressions, slowly comes unhinged, realizing that the depth of his love for April may sink her marriage. In "A Married Man," Fleming takes a more lighthearted look at philandering, as protagonist David Sanderson cracks rueful jokes and comically acts out when he learns of wife Marcia's quick, casual interlude with a dinner-party guest. The funniest passages take place during the couple's therapy sessions with a Dr. Phil-style psychologist (coiner of such maxims as "you're as sick as your secrets") who has used his own infidelity to build a high-profile career. Fleming is a thoughtful, intelligent writer whose arch humor and dead-on dialogue suggest great potential for subsequent novels. The biggest problem with these novellas is the familiarity of the material; there are some clichés in both the plotting and characterization. Still, Fleming clearly has a knack for making the ups and downs of marital life deliciously entertaining. Author tour. (Jan.)