How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told

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Harrison Scott Key, winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, tells the shocking, shot through with sharp humor (The Washington Post), spiritually profound story of his journey through hell and back when infidelity threatens his marriage.

One gorgeous autumn day, Harrison discovers that his wifethe sweet, funny, loving mother of their three daughters, a woman whos spent just about every Sunday of her life in a churchis having an affair with a family friend. This revelation propels the hysterical, heartbreaking events in How to Stay Married, casting our narrator onto the factory floor of hell, where his wife was now in love with a man who wears cargo shorts, on purpose. What will he do Kick her out Set fire to all her panties in the yard Beat this man to death with a gardening implement Ask God for help in winning her back

Armed only with a sense of humor and a hunger for the truth, Harrison embarks on a hellish journey into his past, seeking answers to the riddles of faith and forgiveness. Through an absurd series of escalating confessions and betrayals, Harrison reckons with his failure to love his wife in the ways she needed most, resolves to fight for his family, and in a climax almost too ridiculous to be believed, finally learns that love is no joke. A fiercely memorable account of marital devotion against all odds (Publishers Weekly, starred review), How to Stay Married is a comic romp unlike any in contemporary literature, a wild ride through the hellscape of marriage and the mysteries of mercy.

Reviews

Do I really care about 300 pages on some strangers marriage It turns out I did. . . . There is an energy to How to Stay Married that I havent previously experienced in a memoir. . . . Shot through with sharp humor . . . Perhaps the most unexpected chapter is written by Lauren. Its rare to hear both sides in a memoir about an affair. Laurens insights into her own feelings are both surprising and intriguing. Jane Smiley, The Washington Post
In this outstanding memoir about the near-end of his marriage, humorist Key brilliantly recounts the circumstances before, during, and after his wifes affair with their neighbor. . . . He skillfully intertwines cutting comedy . . . with heart-wrenching musings . . . and explanations of the spiritual impact the experience has on him. . . . Keys willingness to laugh at himself and share ownership of the couples marital issues elevates this. . . . A fiercely memorable account of marital devotion against all odds. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Despite the How to of the title, the book is not an advice column. . . . Its a memoir that tells one story of an unhappy marriage that was authentically saved by grace. . . with an authenticity, vulnerability, and comedy thats missing in most books on this topic. . . . If I could, Id give everyone a copy ofHow to Stay Married. As I was reading it, my husband listened to me laugh aloud and begged to hear what was so funny. I read most of it in one night because the drama kept me flipping pages. When Id finished the bookafter reading at least a third of it aloud to my husbandwe both wanted to try marriage counseling. Like a tune-up, my husband said. Jessica Hooten Wilson, Christianity Today
An exceptional memoir of a humorists attempts to deal with his wifes infidelity. Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
This hilarious and heartbreaking memoir lays the deepest human pain bare and will leave readers breathless and feeling seen. Booklist
The humorous memoir details his wifes infidelity, the nearly total collapse of their marriage and the difficult path they follow in the ensuing years to save it. Readers might reasonably expect Keys telling of what happened, including the crisis of his own Christian faith that arises from the event, to be about as funny as a cancer diagnosis. Readers would be wrong. Nashville Scene
Whats a humor writer to do when he discovers his wife and the mother of their three daughters has been unfaithful He writes a memoir charting the fallout. While he mines plenty of humor from the situation, Key also does a lot of serious soul searching and embarks on a spiritual journey in the process. The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Summers Brightest New Beach Reads

Author Bio

Harrison Scott Key is the author ofThe Worlds Largest Man, winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, andCongratulations, Who Are You, Again. Harrisons TEDx talk about the challenges and rewards of creative ambition (The Funny Thing About the American Dream) is featured on TED.com, and his humor and nonfiction have appeared inThe Best American Travel Writing,Oxford American,Outside,The New York Times,McSweeneys Internet Tendency,Bitter Southerner,Town & Country,The Mockingbird,Salon,Readers Digest,Image,Southern Living,Gulf Coast,Creative Nonfiction, and elsewhere. He has spoken and performed on radio (Snap Judgement, WNYC Studios) and for hundreds of festivals, bookstores, conferences, variety shows, and universities. He lives in Savannah, Georgia.