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 sabbaticalâditching work for a nine-month-long motorcycle trip through South America. Problem is, thatâs Jasonâs dream, not Nicoleâs. 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 surprisingâand intriguingâway out of their dilemma. Over a little too much wine, Jason and Nicoleâs married neighbors sing the praises of the 500 Mile Rule: their policy of enjoying themselves however they wishâand with whomever they wishâwhen theyâre temporarily far apart. It seems like the perfect solution: nine months pursuing their own adventuresâwith a bit of donât-ask-donât-tellâand then a return to their shared lives. Itâll 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 sheâs 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 endâŚthen what?