The Marriage Sabbatical
A Novel
-
-
4.3 • 18 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
What if you could take a vacation from your marriage? A couple decides to give it a shot in this fun, adventurous novel by Lian Dolan, the popular author of The Sweeney Sisters and Lost and Found in Paris.
After twenty-three years of building careers and raising kids together, Jason and Nicole Elswick are ready for a break from their daily lives. Jason has spent years planning his dream sabbatical—ditching work for a nine-month-long motorcycle trip through South America. Problem is, that’s Jason’s dream, not Nicole’s. After years working retail and parenting in Portland, Nicole craves the sun of the Southwest and the artistic community in Santa Fe, where she wants to learn jewelry design.
A chance encounter at a dinner party presents a surprising—and intriguing—way out of their dilemma. Over a little too much wine, Jason and Nicole’s married neighbors sing the praises of the 500 Mile Rule: their policy of enjoying themselves however they wish—and with whomever they wish—when they’re temporarily far apart. It seems like the perfect solution: nine months pursuing their own adventures—with a bit of don’t-ask-don’t-tell—and then a return to their shared lives. It’ll be a sabbatical from their marriage as well as their day jobs.
As Jason bikes his way across a continent and Nicole reclaims the art she’s long neglected, they discover the pleasures and pitfalls of the 500 Mile Rule, confronting temptations of all kinds, uncomfortable truths about themselves, and gaining new perspective on their partnership.
But all sabbaticals come to an end…then what?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the enticing latest from Dolan (Lost and Found in Paris), a married couple takes a nine-month break from each other in search of self-fulfillment. Jason Elswick, 50, is about to begin a yearlong sabbatical from his book publishing company. His wife Nicole, who works in retail, having stalled on her management career track at a high-end department store years earlier to focus on raising their two children, dreads Jason's time away in Patagonia, where he plans to gather material for a travel book. What she really wants to do is enroll in a silversmithing program in Santa Fe. With both of their kids studying abroad for college, Jason and Nicole agree to pursue their own interests and follow the "Five Hundred Mile Rule" practiced by their neighbors, which permits them to have sex with other people when they're at least 500 miles from home. Jason and Nicole hope their plans will lead to a "midlife triumph" rather than provide further evidence of their midlife crises, and Dolan treats her characters with respect as they negotiate the limits of their ambitions. There are plenty of surprises along the way, including the couple's unique riff on the 500-mile rule. Dolan elevates her diverting story with plenty of sharp insights about middle age.
