Fates and furies

Fates and Furies is the story of the 24 year marriage of Lancelot “Lotto” Satterwhite, a failed actor turned celebrated playwright, and Mathilde Yoder, a woman with a blank past, no family or friends of her own to speak of. The first half of the novel tells the story that most of the world sees and that Lotto, a self absorbed man with an outsized need for encouragement and praise, accepts without question. It's the story that Lotto himself tells about their marriage. The second half of the novel reveals Mathilde's hidden past and how it has played a hidden part in the marriage that has been so admired by all their friends.

It's a good premise, but unfortunately I preferred the first half of the novel. I was aware that there was more to the story, but what I was reading felt true. The golden boy of college was failing to live up to his promise, the “perfect marriage” was under strain because of his depression and his wife's disappointment, and the burden of supporting the household falling solely on his wife's shoulders. When success finally comes, he is still needy, so although some of the burden is shifted, it's still Mathilde who is supporting the household. There is a lot of writing about Lotto and Mathilde's sex life, which some reviewers have thought excessive, but I read it as the (not 100% physical) attraction between them that makes it possible for the marriage to stay strong in spite of the strains.

The second part of the book just read like episodes of Dallas with hints of 50 Shades of Gray to me. Over the top unbelievable, lacking in emotional truth. I kept reading to get to the end, but I had essentially lost interest in the part of the book that was supposed to reveal deeper truths to me. Big disappointment.