Fates and the Furies by Lauren Groff

[Caitlin]

Every story has two sides. Every relationship has two perspectives. And sometimes, it turns out, the key to a great marriage is not its truths but its secrets. At the core of this rich, expansive, layered novel, Lauren Groff presents the story of one such marriage over the course of twenty-four years.

At age twenty-two, Lotto and Mathilde are tall, glamorous, madly in love, and destined for greatness. A decade later, their marriage is still the envy of their friends, but with an electric thrill we understand that things are even more complicated and remarkable than they have seemed.

[Caitlin]

I had a tough time getting through the first half of this book (Fates), and an easier time getting through the second (Furies).

I wouldn't argue with people who called the first half pretentious, but I didn't understand the reason for that until the second half. It's written that way because Lotto is a pretty pretentious character, and the first half is more or less from his point of view. When we switch POV's the pretension drops, and the writing becomes a lot more direct, and the mood darker.