«The Forever Marriage» by Michael Slater

A “scintillating . . . sharp and unsentimental” portrait of a marriage and a woman facing her own imperfect past from the acclaimed author of Forgiveness 4 You (The Washington Post).When her husband, Jobe, dies in their home one cool April morning, Carmen Garrett feels a mix of horror and excitement. Having always been more indebted to Jobe than in love with him, she is now finally free to live her life—finally done with the lie of their happiness. But as she helps her three children grieve, she discovers, after a tryst with her most recent lover, that her own life may be in danger.Her emotions reeling, Carmen reflects on the fateful days of her youth that made her the person she has become: privileged suburban wife, unfaithful widow, mother of a child with Down syndrome, fierce friend.The Forever Marriage draws comparison to the best work of Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Berg, and Alice Sebold as it “poignantly and powerfully illustrate[s] the great and often tragic ironies of life” (Minneapolis Star-Tribune).“With quiet power, Bauer explores the isolation, betrayal, duty, and, finally, compassion that constitute an unhappy marriage.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)