Marriage Dance - by Patrick Pfister (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Sinking in moral quicksand, caught between a disturbed psyche and divorce in a nation of dazed minds, marriage therapist Ryan Mathiesson has one path to survival: he must learn to rock his solitude and stay footloose in a mad whirling dance.

Review Quotes

With a heaving ocean and magical fog as background, Marriage Dance tells an extraordinary story of inner revelations. Pfister gradually enters the soul of every character peeling away their masks and elaborate lies until finally revealing their virtues, failings, and yearnings. The swaying images and pirouetting circumstances endear the reader from beginning to end. All of this is told in precise language underscoring Pfister's mastery of the narrative medium. A delicious dance not to be missed.

Jorge Armenteros,

author of We Are Not But We Are

Here is a noir-esque page-turner par excellence. Pfister's protagonist is a stumbling marriage counselor in Monterey. "But I am polarized. Like everyone else, I oppose myself." Glistening seascapes undercut the staid melancholy, and a whirl of dust motes and strapless lace revolve us in the genre.

Sarah Riggs,

author of The Nerve Epistle

Marriage Dance is no waltz or tango of love. It's an emotional, spiritual mosh pit, a jitterbug of truth and deceit. It even manages to dance a twist at the end.

Terry Wooten,

Michigan Notable Book Award

Pfister's novel blends noir with magazine journalism, achieving not only a riveting story but a mesmerizing philosophical discourse on love. The result is lyrical, precise, and fast-paced, without sacrificing heart or wit. This is one of those rare books you can enjoy at the beach or savor in a hushed library corner.

Christine Stoddard,

author of Water for the Cactus Woman

Ryan is a disillusioned marriage counselor tempted into an enigmatic couple's web of intrigue. To survive, he must confront his failure to live up to his own ideals of honesty and trust and simultaneously reawaken his belief in the redemptive power of love. A delightful post-modern tale... repackaging eternal questions of romance.

David Nel.lo,

Premi Sant Jordi Novelist