48 - A Book That Features a Married Couple Who Don't Live Together

[The Pampered Librarian]

The newest novel by Paula Hawkins The Blue Hour fits here.

[Linda]

Forever Home by Graham Norton would work for this!

[Beth F]

Just found one that could work. The Rule Book by Sarah Adams

Without entering too far into spoiler territory, the "fake marriage" trope makes an appearance and the couple continue to live separately afterwards. Not permanently, as it is a traditional sort of romance, but one could at least make an argument for it, haha.

[Dea]

Jennifer W wrote: "Probably some books on slavery where the couple is forcibly separated, but I'm not thinking of any at the moment."

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup would be an excellent choice. Solomon Northup was married when he was abducted to the South and sold illegally into slavery. It took twelve years for him to gain freedom.

I highly recommend Twelve Years. It's heartbreaking and painful, but so important. And Solomon is a great storyteller.

[Laura Ruth]

Dea wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "Probably some books on slavery where the couple is forcibly separated, but I'm not thinking of any at the moment."

Twelve Years a Slave by [author:Solomon Northu..."

I second that! Brilliant and horrifying book.

[Dea]

Melissa wrote: "Dea wrote: "The Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal features couples who live apart because one is living on the moon.

The Calculating Stars
[book:The Fa..."

Thanks! Book series tend to run together for me, so I often forget what is in which book.

[Jen W.]

I read it for the luxury resort prompt, but The Paradise Problem might work for spoiler reasons below the cut.

(view spoiler)[The male and female lead were legally married roommates in college in order to get family housing and save on some rent. She thinks she signed divorce papers when they moved out, but it turns out they are still married and living apart at the start of the story. (hide spoiler)]

[Dea]

Many of the Outlander books would work. With all the dual timelines and time travel, spouses end up separated a lot, sometimes by location and sometimes by time.

Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
An Echo in the Bone

Details behind the spoiler tag. (view spoiler)[
Outlander: Claire and Frank
Dragonfly in Amber: Claire and Frank; Claire and Jamie
Voyager: Claire and Jamie for part of the book
Drums of Autumn: Fergus and Marsali for much of the book
An Echo in the Bone: Brianna and Roger for most of the book (hide spoiler)]

Others may also qualify.

[Denise]

I'm going to read a retelling of Little Women, Marmee. They live apart because dad is at war

[Dea]

I just remembered A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev.

When she was 4 years old, Mili married 12-year-old Virat, and that was the last time she saw him. Now at 24, she has a visa to study in America.

When she writes Virat, he learns that he is actually still married to Mili, not his wife who is pregnant with their first child. He asks his Bollywood producer brother, Samir, to find Mili and talk her into an annulment.

Moderate spice, if I recall correctly.

[Kathryn]

I’d rather be home by Cathy Lamb fits this prompt is maybe my favorite lamb so far. It’s really good with real characters

[Nadine in NY]

Dea wrote: "I just remembered A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev.

When she was 4 years old, Mili married 12-year-old Virat, and that was the last time she saw him. Now at 24, sh..."



oh that sounds funny! and - shockingly! - I have not read anything by Sonali Dev, so I should.

But I've got The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami lined up for this category. It's speculative fiction, sort of like Minority Report, people are locked up in detention facilities for future crimes. The protagonist is locked up because she's going to harm her husband, and she's kept in the detention facility for months.

Sounds weird and fascinating!

[Dea]

Nadine in NY wrote: "oh that sounds funny! and - shockingly! - I have not read anything by Sonali Dev, so I should.

But I've got The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami lined up for this category."

Bollywood Bride would also work for unlikely friendship (28)—Mili and Ritta are opposites. Also, Samir and Virat are best friends as well as half brothers, which is incredibly unlikely due to the details of the relationship.

It would also work for "immigrant or refugee" (25). Samir is American born, but moves to India as a young child. His status as such is a significant point of conflict in his young life, and has shaped much of it.

[Shaina]

I just finished Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. The main characters are a couple who don't live together.

[Renee]

I just finished Ruthless Vows that have a married couple that are seperated so they don't live together.

[Michele]

The Wind Is Not a River by Brian Payton.

[Joanna G]

Currently reading Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North and she mentions that the people she's staying with in Norway, Arild and Anne Lill, are married, but live in two houses next to each other. Think I'll count that for this!

[Diane]

The Briar Club, Kate Quinn. Fliss’ husband is stationed in Korea.

[LeahS]

I read Tokyo Express which features a husband and wife who live in different areas because she is unwell. An interesting crime story, with a lot of emphasis on railway travel. A great gift for train enthusiasts!

[Melinda]

Daybreak by Joan Baez is an early autobiography during the time she was married to David Harris and he was in jail.

[Jennifer W]

I went with The Fox Wife for this.

[Nadine in NY]

I just read Famous Last Words, her husband is a fugitive for most of the book, so they do not live together.

And then I read Here Beside the Rising Tide, her husband wants a divorce so he moves out, and then she packs up her kids and rents a house at the shore for the summer without him.

I highly recommend both books!

[Brandon]

In Return to Mars, one of the scientists on the Mars mission is married to someone back home. The Earthbound spouse does not really get any page time, though, so you can decide if that fits the prompt well enough for you.

[Stephanie]

I just finished I Have Some Questions for You and loved it! It definitely works for this prompt.

[Nike]

I read Puffball by Fay Weldon for this one.

[Sherri]

I got creative on this prompt. I read Cloistered: My Years as a Nun. Bride of Christ.

[Denise]

I read Horse. The painter is itinerant and leaves his wife to travel around painting horses wherever he can get a commission.

It would also work for a nontraditional education, one of the MC is a slave who is taught everything there is about horses

[Claire]

In The Berry Pickers one of the main characters never gets a divorce but lives apart from his wife for years.

[Jamie]

The Late-Night Witches doesn't officially come out until August (it's on NetGalley now), but the main character's husband is overseas with Doctors Without Borders.

[Marianne]

Michelle wrote: "I've chosen A Fate Inked in Blood for this prompt!"

Had I paid attention to the 2025 prompts, I would have waited to read this book, instead I read it in December! Boo!

Hope you enjoy the book :-)

[LeahS]

I've just read Exposure for an ATY prompt - a good book where a couple are apart for most of the plot.

[Nadine in NY]

LeahS wrote: "I've just read Exposure for an ATY prompt - a good book where a couple are apart for most of the plot."


I'm reading a mystery novel called Exposure right now!! (It does not seem to involve a married couple, but if anyone needs two books with the same title, there ya go! )

[Nina]

I just realized that The Queen of Nothing technically works for this!
*spoilers*

Since Jude and Cardan secretly get married in The Wicked King, and then Jude is banished from Elfhame and they don't live together. Until eventually she comes back but y'know.

[Ron]

So it's looks like I'll be reading this prompt in May. I wrapped my TBR months ago so I didn't remember which month I placed the book for this prompt in.

I'm not too excited about it, but at least it will be one of those books that I just get it over with.

I'll be reading: Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage

[JessicaMHR]

Dubhease wrote: "Ron wrote: "Maybe military spouses would work for this since people get deployed and are separated from their families for god knows how long.

I'll try to think of other nonfiction topics as well."

I have a friend who had her husband go into a care home to deal with his complex medical conditions. I don't know if that kind of involuntary separation makes it into books...."


You just sparked a memory...I read The Return by Nicholas Sparks earlier this year and their is a lady whose husband is in a care home.

Ron I know you like Nicholas Sparks. Have you read this one yet or maybe do a re-read?

[JessicaMHR]

I also thought of a couple different situations where it could be a married couple who don't live together.

The book I ended up using was Black Star by Kwame Alexander since the dad is never home because he has gone off to some big city to work. He comes home maybe once or twice in the book and only for the weekend.

Another scenario could be the married couple whose spouse just up and left them. Either a husband or a wife, although it is probably easier to find one where the husband leaves. These books are usually not FEATURING the couple but it is usually mentioned at some point, that they are technically still married even though they haven't seen or heard from them in a while.

[Dubhease]

I read The Crystal City. For the 5th and 6th books of this series a married couple doesn't live together because they are on separate quest in the abolitionist movement and trying to prevent a civil war.

[Laura Ruth]

In CJ Cherryh's The Pride of Chanur, Pyanfar is a spaceship captain whose husband is planetside. We don't even find out she has a husband until near the end of the book.

[Jen W.]

During the events of A Letter from the Lonesome Shore, (view spoiler)[the main character's sister winds up living apart from her wife for at least a potion of the book. (hide spoiler)]

[Britany]

Finished Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Diana]

The Summer of Yes works for this one. It also could work for the Unlikely Friendship and Road Trip prompts. I can recommend it for anyone looking for a fast beach read type of book.

[Laura Ruth]

I went with Wide Is the Gate, book 4 in Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd spy series. His work as a spy forces them to live apart. Book 5, Presidential Agent, also fits the prompt. This series is really interesting, a front-row seat to the rise of fascism in Europe before WW2, but each book is 800-1000 pages.

Warning, my review contains spoilers:

http://www.lauraruthloomis.com/whats-...

[Jackie]

Orbital by Samantha Harvey works for this prompt- a few of the astronauts on the space station are married with their spouses on earth.

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine)]

Not sure of any exact titles. But basically, any book written with Agatha Christie as a protagonist, set during her second marriage, will fit. I think The Queens of Crime suits. I may use it.
Also, Frieda Kahlo bios. She and her husband lived in connected houses but not together.

[Sasha]

I changed my plans on this one a few times, but ended up reading This World Is Not Yours. When their colony needs to increase its birth rate, two wives are ordered to separate and live with men.

[Ellen]

Claire wrote: "In The Berry Pickers one of the main characters never gets a divorce but lives apart from his wife for years."

I read The Berry Pickers and I think it's perfect for this prompt!

[Acidic Quagga]

I've chosen to read The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. It looks like it'll be a blast!

[Kim]

I thought for this prompt, I might be able to use the latest Lady Astronaut book, The Martian Contingency (Lady Astronaut Universe #4), by Mary Robinette Kowal, but I haven't read it yet. I'm still waiting on my library copy to come in on Overdrive/Libby.

In the meantime, I found another book where a couple is separated when the wife goes into space, Inner Space, by Jakub Szamalek. I was wondering where to slot this one, and "I" is filled in my Alphabet Challenge.

Inner Space

Now, I'm going to have to find another prompt for Martian Contingency!

[Katherine]

I’ve read two books that I believefit this category: The Perfect Marriage, by Jeneva Rose, and The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston. Happy reading!