Last Couple Standing: A Novel

Being married in middle age can be tough, especially if you married young and have children. A routine sets in that slowly feels like a rut that you are unable to get out of. In this novel, a core group of friends that have known each other since college and all live near each other start to divorce. The last couple standing, before they are sucked into the maelstrom, decide to re-enliven their relationship by forming rules to have one night stands with complete strangers and to be honest with each other about it. What transpires is a mess as the nice rules in theory break down in practice and that really a shot in the arm was all that was needed.

Similar to many books that cover middle-class suburbia life, this takes a look at white middle-class couples and their issues. The man, who is a self-proclaimed nerd and English high school teacher; feels unmoored by what is happening with his friends and his wife. Even when his wife encourages him to go for it, it backfires. The side-story with the two high school kids was unneeded.