A hilarious and emotionally charged national bestseller about a couple who embark on an open marriage — what could possibly go wrong? Lucy and Owen, ambitious, thoroughly-therapized New Yorkers, have taken the plunge, trading in their crazy life in a cramped apartment for Beekman, a bucolic Hudson Valley exurb. They’ve got a two hundred year-old house, an autistic son obsessed with the Titanic, … with the Titanic, and 17 chickens, at last count.
It’s the kind of paradise where stay-at-home moms team up to cook the school’s “hot lunch,” dads grill grass-fed burgers, and, as Lucy observes, “chopping kale has become a certain kind of American housewife’s version of chopping wood.” When friends at a wine-soaked dinner party reveal they’ve made their marriage open, sensible Lucy balks.
There’s a part of her, though-the part that worries she’s become too comfortable being invisible — that’s intrigued. Why not try a short marital experiment? Six months, clear ground rules, zero questions asked. When an affair with a man in the city begins to seem more enticing than the happily-ever-after she’s known for the past nine years, Lucy must decide what truly makes her happy: “real life,” or the “experiment?”
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“How is it that as a culture we’ve decided that it’s completely rational to break up a nuclear family because one of the parents has sex with somebody else, even if it’s only one time, or a minor fling, or whatever, but it’s shameful and perverted to make some temporary accommodations inside a marriage so all parties can get their needs met while doing their primary job, which is staying together and raising their kids as an intact family unit?”…
“Yeah, but I’m not sure marriage should be like dating. Where you’re always looking for someone to hook up with.”
“Not looking for it, necessarily. Just, not having to shut it down if it happens. Being able to feel like a sexual person walking through the world again.”
“I barely feel like a sexual person when I’m actually having sex.”
Say hello to marriage after children. After reading the quote above, an open marriage sounds like a sensible solution if all parties are on board, right? My God, it’s a fantasy to most people anyway. Well Sarah Dunn explores a fictional couple’s relationship during their experimental six-month-long open marriage. They’re not allowed to talk about it. They can partake or not. They’re giving each other permission, for six months, then it’s a closed book forever. Why not?
With humor, flawed characters, complicated parenting issues, and even more complicated partners, The Arrangement was a surprisingly fun, engaging, and thought-provoking read in my opinion. It made me think that when you partake in something like this, it’s not only about you and your marriage, but it’s also about the people you pick outside of your marriage too. Is there really any such thing as no-strings-attached sex?
I foresee this novel potentially being one that receives mixed reviews, but personally, I really enjoyed it. The main plot is about this one couple but Ms. Dunn also incorporates smaller, brief explorations of the marriages of various neighboring couples. After being married for a number of years myself, I could relate to many of the relationship stressors in this book. Yes, it’s fiction, but don’t think for one second that a variety of options won’t flutter across your mind when thinking about how to breathe fresh life into a marriage. Some you might consider and some you’ll toss aside. Some will work and some will be an epic fail. But the point is you’re trying. Check it out!
My favorite quote:
“Marriage doesn’t hurt the cuddling or even change the sex all that much, but it does do something very bad to kissing. It does. And it’s a shame.”
5* Enjoyable Stars
I absolutely loved this book. The story of Qwen and Lucy and their “open marriage” was eye opening and very real.
There were so many laugh out loud moments as well as very real life serious moments. The way the author portrayed Wyatt their autistic son was so real and heartfelt. The secondary characters in the story were all very interesting and wonderful to get to know. I loved reading about Lucy’s chickens and what she named them, so funny!
It was a very well written, fun and entertaining read.
I’ve had this book on my shelves for at least a year now. It was a find at a local library sale. I love buying books at these sales as I usually get ones that are out of my wheelhouse. If not, for the sale I doubt I ever would have purchased this book.
I typically don’t enjoy any type of domestic books but the premise caught my attention…would you allow a time-expired open marriage scenario with rules and guidelines?
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was this a quick read…it was a fun one. Like watching a train wreck without the ability to turn away kind of fun (if that makes sense )
I, for one, would never enter into this sort of arrangement. It’s just not in my realm of wants or interests. However, it sure was fun to read and “watch” the disater and chaos ensue
Be careful what you wish for…..I did enjoy the book and had a really hard time putting the book down! It’s a light tale with interesting characters that reveal darker truths about care required to maintain a marriage. This is a perfect beach read if you’re looking for a light romance that outlines the struggles of a long term relationship and coming to terms with the fact that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.