Vow : a Memoir Of Marriage (And Other Affairs{Rpara}

Monogamy is one of the most important vows we make in our marriages. Yet it is a rare spouse who does not face some level of temptation through the allure of other people. Sometimes the issues are resolved before anyone is hurt. But sometimes, as with Wendy Plump's marriage, the fallout is confronted head-on-when not one but both spouses cheat. In early 2005, Wendy Plump found out about her husband's second family. They lived just a mile from the home she shared with her sons in the farmlands of Pennsylvania. But the discovery followed betrayals of her own, earlier in the marriage. Most discussions of infidelity focus on one side and therefore provide a skewed perspective. In this unique, 360-degree look, Plump delivers a searing, confessional story about the challenges of marriage that reads like a conversation between old friends. From the view of both betrayer and betrayed, Plump looks at the ordeal of finding out, the recovery, the ebb and flow of passion, the daily play of personality that can lead to fulfillment or disillusionment, family and friends and therapists, illicit attraction, the lovers, the lies, the alibis, even the undeniable pleasures affairs gave her as a younger woman. As she explores the wreckage of her own marriage, Plump offers a beautifully told narrative of hope, recovery, and wonder for the pull of couplehood that reawakens a belief in the value of fidelity and commitment.
There are so many ways to find out. From a cell phone. From a bank statement. From some weird supermarket encounter. One morning in early January 2005, Wendy Plump’s friend came to tell her that her husband was having an affair. It was not a shock. Actually, it explained a lot. But what Wendy was not prepared for was the revelation that her husband also had another child, living within a mile of their family home.

Monogamy is one of the most important of the many vows we make in our marriages. Yet it is a rare spouse who does not face some level of temptation in their married life. The discovery of her husband’s affair followed betrayals of Wendy’s own, earlier in the marriage. The revelations of those infidelities had tested their relationship, but for Wendy, it was commitment—the sticking with it—that mattered most, and when her sons were born, she knew family had to come first. But with another woman and another family in the picture, she lost all sense of certainty.

In Vow, Wendy Plump boldly walks one relationship’s fault lines, exploring infidelity from the perspective of both betrayer and betrayed. Moving fluidly from the intimate to the near-universal, she considers the patterns of adultery, the ebb and flow of passion, the undeniable allure of the illicit, the lovers and the lies. Frank, intelligent and important, Vow will forever alter your understanding of fidelity, and the meaning of the promises we make to those we love.

In this unique, 360-degree look, Plump delivers a searing, confessional story about the challenges of marriage. From the view of both betrayer and betrayed, Plump looks at the ordeal of finding out about infidelity, the recovery, passion, and the daily play that can lead to fulfillment or disillusionment Finding out Combat stress Most relevant flame House of mirth The tao of infidelity Headwaters The efficacy of therapy The other woman, the other man Friends and family Storming the sanctuary Standard candles Wreckage Yes, I said.