âAnyone grappling with the bewilderment of midlifeâŚwill be at once provoked and comforted by this enormously wise bookâ (Dani Shapiro, New York Times bestselling author of Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage), from a psychologist who has worked for decades with people struggling to preserve and enhance their marriages and long-term relationships.
People today are trying to make their marriages work over longer lives than ever before. But staying married isnât always easy. In the brilliant, transformative, and optimistic The Rough Patch, clinical psychologist Daphne de Marneffe explores the extraordinary pushes and pulls of midlife marriage, where our need to develop as individuals can crash headlong into the demands of our relationships.
âA book of good intentions and helpful advice and a worthy manual for spousesâ (Kirkus Reviews), The Rough Patch addresses common problems: money, alcohol and drugs, the stresses of parenthood, sex, extramarital affairs, lovesickness, health, aging, children leaving home, and dealing with elderly parents. Then, de Marneffe offers seasoned wisdom on these difficulties, explaining the psychological, emotional, and relational capacities we must cultivate to overcome them as individuals and as couples. Blending research, interviews, and clinical experience, de Marneffe dives deep into the workings of love and the structures of relationships.
Intimate and always illuminating, The Rough Patch is an essential, compassionate resource for people trying to understand âwhere they areâ on the continuum of marriage, giving them a chance to share in other peopleâs stories and struggles. âDe Marneffe writes with poetry, wit, and compassion about the necessity of struggle in the quest for true love. Anyone in any relationship at any stage of life could stand to learn from the wisdom in these pagesâ (Andrew Solomon, National Book Award-winning author of Far from the Tree).