TPL Book Review: 'I Married You for Happiness' by Lily Tuck

Lily Tuck’s newest book, I Married You for Happiness, begins with a macabre scene as the wife, Nina, discovers her husband has died.  Nina begins a night of mournful reminiscences as she strokes the hand of Phillip, her husband of nearly 40 years.

One could easily be turned off by such a beginning, but in Tuck’s able hands this is the perfect set up for Nina’s night of remembrance. Nina reflects on the life that she shared with Phillip, a brilliant mathematician who specialized in the practical application of probability.

During this long night, Nina as narrator, describes and relives her courtship with Phillip in Paris, their vacations on various European Islands, and their idyllic life as successful academic and supportive wife.  In this reflective mode we learn that Nina had all but disappeared during her marriage to Phillip. 

Phillip’s continuous and brilliant lectures pervade the book. Nina often reflects about these lectures in the manner of a wife who has heard all of her husband’s stories too many times before, but still finds herself caught up in their seduction. It was startling (and a credit to the author’s skill), to have the explanations of Phillip’s abstract mathematical theories explained with such clarity and understanding.

At times during this nightly reminisces Nina can seem shallow and insecure.  But Nina is a survivor and it is her story that is really the center of the book.  As more and more details of this marriage become known it is obvious that Nina has been a keeper of secrets.  However, Tuck handles these revelations with a light touch and great sensitivity.

 Tuck’s writing (she had been the National Book Award Winner in2004) has been compared to jazz.  But that comparison is too vague.  Tuck is surely an artist with her sparse writing style and phrasing, but she is immensely evocative.  In that regard her writing is jazz like.  She places just enough words to create a mood that is pitch-perfect for a novel about a woman and wife, experiencing equal parts grief and revelation.

I Married You for Happiness is not a depressing tale.  On the contrary, it is a fascinating look into a relationship that appeared to be perfect on the surface.  It was a relationship with obvious flaws but also with definite moments of joy. 

Editor's Note: This review was written by Tim Burns from the .