The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book about Relationships

by Neil Strauss

Adam, and most people, seem to believe that if a relationship doesn’t last until death, it’s a failure. But the only relationship that’s truly a failure is one that lasts longer than it should. The success of a relationship should be measured by its depth, not by its length.

Most love stories are about two people who belong together, but are blocked by an obstacle keeping them apart: their cultures, their social standing, their families, a rival lover, a manipulating villain, an unexpected tragedy. But in real life, love stories are more complex. People want love, but after they get it, they become scared or bored or uncertain or resentful. And when they get pain instead of love, they don’t leave. They cling to it more strongly than they would to pleasure. And so in life, the real obstacle keeping two lovers apart is not external. The battle to be fought is within.