First published 1993
Jack closes his laptop in his Maine apartment and checks the clock. Another week without seeing Maisie, who remains in Manhattan for her job. The newlyweds thought they could handle the distance, but their commuter marriage creates problems they never anticipated. Jack feels isolated in his small Maine town, while Maisie navigates her demanding Manhattan career alone. Phone calls grow shorter and more strained. Weekend visits become exercises in awkward reacquaintance rather than romantic reunions. Each spouse begins to question whether love can survive the practical demands of two careers in different states. The geographic divide mirrors an emotional chasm that widens with each passing week. Wickersham captures the quiet desperation of a young marriage under pressure.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, marriage, 21st-century, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, second-chance
Setting: Maine, Manhattan
Period: 21st-century
368 pages · Hardcover · Viking