Miller is a prolific writer, but this was my first time reading her work. With a title like “Monogamy”, you can only begin to wonder about the conflict that may be proposed.
“A brilliantly insightful novel, engrossing and haunting, about marriage, love, family, happiness and sorrow, from the New Times best selling author, Sue Miller.”
book jacket
Memory & Mourning in Miller’s 2020 Work
In Monogamy, Annie, a photographer, and Graham, a gregarious bookshop owner, have been married for thirty years. Living in the Boston area, they share two independent, adult children and a marriage that is the envy of their circle of friends.
Everyone loves Graham in spite of his flaws. We come to know the people in his life through their relationship with him.
Annie is more reserved and introspective. Having put her career on hold, she is about to have her first gallery show in six years.
Upon Graham’s sudden death, while still mourning and lost, Annie discovers a ruinous secret.
“Miller does and extraordinary job of representing the terrible (or wonderful), thick intimacy of family life”
San Francisco Chronicle
Masterful Characters Draw Readers into a Marriage Story of Infinite Depth
This book is rich in literary references and hidden quotes. Miller creates a complex set of characters and gives us a full sense of who they are. One of the characters describes why we read fiction: “. . . because it suggests that life has shape and we feel . . . consoled.”
Monogamy presents a palpable sense of reality, so absorbing that we face the difficult choices made by the characters, and the consequences of those choices, with a sense of connection. I am looking forward to reading more novels by Sue Miller.
Penna Book Reviews 