Strangers When We Meet

by Evan Hunter

Larry Cole has everything a man could want. He loves his wife, Eve, and is devoted to their two small sons. His career as an architect is both creatively satisfying and financially rewarding. His house in suburban Pinecrest Manor is attractive and comfortable. But then Larry sees a new neighbor standing at the school bus stop. Margaret Gault is young, blond, beautiful—and married. She’s everything Larry didn’t realize was missing from his life, and he must have her. Maggie tells Larry she’s never been in love. But this isn’t about love. It’s about need and desire. Touch and taste and risk. And lies. Larry and Maggie surrender to lust, knowing their secret motel rendezvous and lunch-hour trysts will amount to nothing; they will always be strangers to each other. But actions have consequences. And sometimes consequences can be deadly. Author Evan Hunter adapted his riveting novel of infidelity into a film starring Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak. A torrid tale of sexual compulsion and the secrets lurking beneath the most placid of surfaces, Strangers When We Meet is an early masterpiece from the creator of the bestselling 87th Precinct series.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

375 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Better known by his pseudonym Ed McBain.

Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952. While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangers When We Meet

Evan Hunter is best known to crime fiction readers as Ed McBain. Hunter, an early pseudonym, became his legal name although it wasn’t his birth name. Strangers When We Meet was a popular 1958 novel, two years later turned into a hit movie starring Kim Novak and Kirk Douglas. It’s not exactly a crime novel except for the adultery. Rather, it’s a novel about the meaning of life and what exactly is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The centerpiece of the novel is, of course, the torrid elicit affair between Larry and Maggie. They both married young, but now after all these years find that the fresh coat of paint has dulled and it’s not bright and shiny and new. On the one hand, it’s indictment of life in all the Levittowns with the cookie cutter houses, taking the kids to school, and waving at your neighbors. On the other hand, Larry gets advice from unlikely sources that he’s throwing away everything and someone warned him that the blonde bombshell Maggie is not the pot of gold. Larry also has a story with his career as an architect and there’s a bit of Howard Roark in him as he storms over changes in his designs. Maggie herself has her own issues. She feels safe with her husband Don, but not filled with excitement. In some ways, still strangers. No one really knows her inside. Her looks make all the other housewives jealous and are misinterpreted by the men as a come-on.

A foil for them and their perilous affair is the happy go lucky life of the rich bestselling writer-client who wants a mansion built to his expectations and who entertains a different woman every weekend. But, he’s terrified of what the critics will say about his next book and he ultimately longs to settle down.

On the surface, this novel sounds like a complicated soap opera, but Hunter makes it into something a bit deeper and more profound.

[K.J. McCall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This study of infidelity was written in the 1950s about the 1950s, when hardcover books sold for $3.95 and a nice split-level could be had for $17,000. It’s clearly a different time. No worrying about STDs, no thoughts of lung cancer from smoking, and people climb into cars after several martinis with no concern for accidents or DWIs. In Pinecrest Manor, a train ride from New York City, residents are already bored with the peace and prosperity of post-World War II. Enslaved to the clock and routine of the workweek, they’re rescued on weekends only by a different routine. Restless men stuck in stale marriages look at bored housewives next door as potential bedfellows.
At the center are Eve and Larry Cole. Larry is an architect who won a prize a few years back and had high hopes. But now a need for further success gnaws at him, and he’s embarrassed by the architectural falseness of his own neighborhood. Margaret and Don Gault live down the street. Margaret is one of the beautiful people everyone stares at. But, she’s sexually unfulfilled at home; that point is clear. And for some reason she avoids forming close bonds with anyone. The relationship with her husband is a big mystery. She loathes the smell of his clothes as she straightens the bedroom, yet she boldly initiates sexual encounters at night. And Don has obvious hang-ups. To him it’s wrong for a wife to be sexy, so Margaret’s forwardness makes him uneasy.
Larry soon shows interest in Margaret and arranges a harmless first meeting. He knows it could lead to an affair, but he does it anyway. The meeting requires him to lie to his wife and he feels guilty about it, but he does it anyway. More lies are necessary as the affair develops, quickly growing into layers of lies that must be tended to and remembered.
There are sex scenes. Indeed, the absence of sex scenes would be odd in a book about infidelity. If anyone is looking for hardcore, though, they won’t find it. But if a reader believes as I do that the imagination is mightier than the pen, then these subtle, almost lyrical, scenes won’t fall short.
For the most part the dialogue is snappy and interesting. But the characters answer too many questions with questions, and promises are made of further insights never quite delivered. There are promises of intellectual depth, too, regarding why the characters are the way they are. Evan Hunter was known to be an explorer of the human psyche, and there’s enough going on here to intrigue Sigmund Freud. Yet, when the reasons are revealed, they’re a bit of a letdown, prompting me to think, Is that all? These revelations, sensational in the 1950s, don’t seem enough for today, sadly. And the fact that I need something more tragic, more depraved, is a sadder revelation to me than anything here.
A movie was made from the book in 1960, with Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak. In fact, it was the movie that led me to the book in the first place. The film has less “noir”, and a brighter ending.
Evan Hunter died of cancer in 2005. He is perhaps best known for his crime fiction, written under the pseudonym, Ed McBain.

[Elaine Tansley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for old black and white movies and books written in or about the 50s and 60s, so this book very much appealed to me.

What makes a good man who appears to have everything - a wife he loves, two young sons, a comfortable home and a career as an architect that he both loves and excels in - embark on an affair with a woman he sees at a bus stop one day? Both are married and have much to lose. As their steamy affair progresses we begin to understand that although neither of them can give the other up, neither has any intention of leaving their spouse. So, how long can their infidelity last before they get found out or worse?

This book is about infidelity, betrayal and much more. It is well-written, makes compelling reading and left me with an overriding feeling of great sadness. I will be reading more Evan Hunter novels soon.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

[Nick Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps Evan Hunter was trying to say something important about Life. If he was, then I certainly wasn’t listening. I was too busy reveling in the sudsy, mid-century splendor of suburban sin.

The provocatively titled “Strangers When We Meet” chronicles the furtive, shoddy extramarital affair between architect, Larry Cole, and housewife, Margaret Gault.

Larry is portrayed quite sympathetically, despite his wretched behavior and annoying ruminations on life, success, and conformity. Margaret is treated rather unfairly; as if Larry’s desire to seek something outside his marriage is a perfectly natural impulse while her dissatisfaction is presented as an inherent flaw.

Dated attitudes toward marriage and sexuality aside, I can’t stay too mad at any book premised on the irresistible notion that hiding underneath any respectable suburban development is a hotbed of sex, sin, and scandal. Although, how anyone with kids and a full-time job finds the time, energy, and wherewithal to cheat is beyond me.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I was excited to read this book as I had seen the movie many years ago. I found myself not wanting to put the book down. Here was a man who had it all, a loving beautiful wife, two sweet boys, and a fantastic job as an architect. But it still wasn’t enough! He finds himself lusting after a blond sexy neighbor. I found it impossible to like Larry at all. He was a cold narcissist . Margaret (the mistress) on the other hand I kinda felt sorry for. She was lonely, although she had a family of her own. She was married to a man who did not give her the love and attention she needed. The ending was very sad and as a lover of happy endings, I was disappointed at the outcome . But that being said, it wasn’t the typical ending which made it a good read.

[Cassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a review.
Unfortunately I didn't finished this book. Written in 1958 the book has not aged well. The language is old-fashioned and the plot, which may have been risque in the 1950's, is sedentary. I found it really difficult to imagine the lives being portrayed.

[Peter G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Updike lifted part of the plot and some of the dialogue of "Strangers When We Meet" for his groundbreaking novel "Couples" (1968). It always surprised me that Hunter/McBain never made it public. Perhaps they reached a private agreement between the two?

[Christine Mathieu · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as i loved Evan Hunter's other novels, this was not nearly as good as the movie based on the book (with Kim Novak and Kirk Douglas).
I'm glad the movie director saw the potential though.

[César Ojeda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"La casa era perfecta, el césped inmaculado, los niños saludables. Pero cada mañana, al despertar, sentía un hueco, el mismo agujero estúpido en el centro de su vida, que la arquitectura no podía llenar."

La novela de Evan Hunter aborda el tema de la infidelidad desde una perspectiva muy humana y cruda, explorando las razones detrás de la traición y la culpa que la acompaña.

"Fue un instante en la parada del autobús, bajo la lluvia. Y supe, sin decir una palabra, que su vida también estaba esperando algo. Nos reconocimos en la soledad. Era una atracción terrible e inevitable."

Funciona como un espejo de la monotonía y la insatisfacción que podían reinar bajo la superficie de la vida suburbana "perfecta" de posguerra, donde el dinero y la comodidad no garantizan la felicidad. Las parejas de los protagonistas, a menudo ocupadas o distantes, no prestan atención a sus cónyuges, lo que alimenta la necesidad de afecto y aventura.

"No era el fin del amor, sino el fin de una mentira cómoda. La verdad era una demolición, y lo que quedaba de su hogar eran solo escombros a la vista de todos."

Evan Hunter ofrece un análisis introspectivo de las emociones de Larry y Margaret, y de cómo su relación los transforma, para bien o para mal.

[Vicky D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story. I rooted for Larry to do the right thing but he really was not a good guy. As for his mistress...Crys for a week, never considers what she cost Eve and her children. Then goes for a walk and gets in Felix's car. Larry's death, I must confess is something my most dreaded reoccurring nightmare is made of. Finished 3 days ago and it is still haunting me. I love the peek at the time period and the way Evan describes the clothes, the cars, and the total way of life. It's one of the things I love the about the "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" - New York in the 50's. Not funny like show but well described and transported back in time is wonderful.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book by Evan Hunter/Ed McBain.This book is about the dynamics of relationships and gives the reader an intimate perspective on the subject of affairs and the psyche behind them occurring within a residential development. Felix was my favorite character and spoke his mind! It was sad, beautiful, and difficult to read at times. I was going to give this 3.5 stars, but the writing of the ending was pretty incredible 4 stars.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel of American suburbia in the 1950s, this is very much a period piece, reflecting the attitudes and way of life of the time as it explores the lives of a group of close-knit, if not always sympathetic to each other, group of young marrieds in a newly built sub-division. Larry Cole and his wife Eve have a good marriage, and Larry is becoming increasingly sought after as an architect. But one morning when he takes his son to the school bus stop he meets Margaret and soon embarks on a torrid and passionate affair with her. It’s hardly a spoiler to say that it’s all going to end in tears, and although I could have done without the more graphic descriptions of their time together, overall it’s a compelling tale of love, marriage, infidelity and the longing for fulfilment. What I enjoyed more than the story itself, however, was the evocation of a particular time and place, which Hunter conveys with great skill and insight. To a contemporary reader the attitudes of the men towards the women are quite disturbing. At one point a young man and his date have to escape a group of thugs and he muses that “He had the sudden vision of himself being beaten up and Suzie getting raped. He knew this would represent no particular loss on Suzies’s part…..” , the implication being that as Suzie is no longer a virgin what’s a rape going to matter to her. And one of Larry’s neighbours, Felix, a particular kind of predatory male, states that “there was an empty chasm in a woman, and only a man could fill that chasm.” Life in the suburbs didn’t always live up to the American Dream for the women at least – but nor for the men either. To be fair, Larry isn’t quite as misogynistic but even so sees Margaret as more a conduit to his own self-fulfilment than as a person with her own needs, and Hunter’s attitude to her at the end seems to imply that she is little more than a sexual object. But all this is very interesting in its way and I enjoyed spending time with these almost exclusively unpleasant people and grateful that I didn’t have to do so in real life.

[Courtney Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally written in 1958, there are undoubtedly some parts and outlooks on life and issues in Strangers When We Meet that have not travelled well in the 59 years since it was written, but that doesn’t take away from the story and the overall sadness of the situations portrayed in this book.

Larry Cole has it all; a prize winning career as an architect, his loving wife Eve and two small sons. But Margret Gault, just standing there at the children’s bus stop with her son is the sexiest woman he has ever seen. Something about her catches his eye and his libido. And so begins the affair.

This book is heartbreaking in its clean decisive dissection of an affair. It looks at the fallout from the affair on the innocent parties and the not so innocent. It is a cold and calculated decision to begin the affair based on nothing more than a lust for something that wasn’t right to lust over. It looks at the victim mentality and the predators actions. It looks at the moral rights and wrongs of continuing with such behaviour and the changes that it brings about in the adulterous person and the cruelty of what it does to the sinned against.

This is a powerful book that is filled with wretchedness and misery and yet reads easily and makes you want to turn the page to keep going. It examines the decisions and actions that produced this affair and it offers opportunities to right the wrongs often that are never acted upon. Perhaps the ending is a little too predictable in some regards; in others it is not and is shocking when delivered.

Powerful and wretched, it is still a book well worth reading.

[Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially, reminded me of a less eloquent Updike, but became much more Ayn Rand as it went along.

[K. Counihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Slice of Life in the Late 1950's

The comings and goings of life in suburbia in the late 1950's.
The cocktail parties, the affairs, and the backstabbing niceties.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't help but think of the show Madmen while reading. I liked the nostalgic period aspect of the book, but overall the story fell short for me.

[Stella Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangers When We Meet is an age old story but a story that always fascinates me. Two people going about their lives, as dreary as they may be, taking care of this and that when, suddenly, as if in their stars, a trick of the drawer, whatever, they engage in a chance meeting. The encounter leaves a lasting impression and both are haunted by each other's persona which seems to fill some void that most people feel at one time or another no matter how beautiful, wonderful or successful they may be. The encounter's story line is a morality play of sorts and I cannot think of one book, movie or play that deals with this subject and actually has a happy ending - where no one gets seriously hurt.

Be that as it may, that kind of story always draws me in (as does a spy thriller or a story about someone who disappears from the face of the earth while going to get coffee across the street). But I'm particularly interested in this one for several reasons. To begin with, I met Evan Hunter once at a New Year's Eve party in 1971 in Easton, Ct. He just had a huge success with his book (and later made into a movie) Last Summer but was not very talkative about the book or anything, not like Ernie's Kovak's character in Strangers. He was quiet, unassuming, a man of few words. He seemed lost.

But, I digress.Strangers is a period piece. While it was not written as one, it is now and that fact adds another layer to the story as it is interesting to see how people "handled" each other, talked to each other, played out their roles in life - particularly women. So, I studied them: Betty Anderson is the bubbly, cheerful housewife; Maggie is the blond seductress of the neighborhood although quiet, reserved and mysterious with not much to say that's intelligent anyway. She asks Kurt's character, why do you call me Maggie, how do you shave your chin, is your wife pretty. Eve, Larry Coe's wife, on the other hand is a classic beauty who is intelligent enough to get involved and promote her husband's talent to the right people and ask the right questions. Intelligent questions. But, alas, she's all used up in this marriage and Kurt's wandering eye is ready for something new and exciting. Ah, Maggie Coe. Other women include Maggie's mother who defends her honor regarding her own unfaithfulness and then there's Robert Alter's brain-dead girlfriend whom he trashes in front of Kurt or Larry Coe as he orders her to "clean up the place."

So, great characters, each with a very different role from one another. I do like Evan's writing and story lines. They always seem to be onto something brewing just ahead that needs further investigation. And, looking back on this 1960s prescribed lifestyle, the period in time and place left few choices for women - or men - and would be well worth the read now, some 60 years later.

Earlier I mentioned Last Summer (which has a sequel called Come Winter) about privileged teens, without any sense of morality or empathy for anyone, left alone at a summer beach house where they toy with the emotions of a lonely 16-year-old girl they meet on the beach. That chance encounter leads to a tragic, thoughtless crime and Mr. Hunter was "onto something" there as well.

But, back to Strangers. All in all, I gave Strangers 4 stars.

[Joellyn Schwerdlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sad story, sad ending, pathetic characters

I wanted to like this book, after seeing the movie; but I the more I read it, the less I liked the main character, Larry Cole, and his ultimate cowardice toward the end of the story, which is radically different from the movie. Couldn't stand Larry's selfish mistress, Margaret "Maggie" Gault and her flippant, entitled attitude. Besides that, I just couldn't understand how clueless their respective spouses were, about the affair. Sorry I wasted $1.99 on this piece of garbage.

[R.W. Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Life Cruelties

I would highly recommend to all husbands. This read will grab you by the ears and not turn loose 'til the last page is turned. The only thing I did not like was the conclusion. I was hoping for something else. Many men can relate to this novel and maybe relive some of their experiences.

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't beat a 1950s sexist potboiler, if for no other reason than it doesn't have a dual timeline. (Linear storytelling, authors, remember that???) Evan Hunter always provides reliable entertainment.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's well written, but the characters are not likeable.

[Puppetoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great book but the end is such a little disappointing

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!!

[Tim McKay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written but not a timeless story.

[Elly Chan10 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Architetto famoso scontento della propria vita conosce vicina scontenta del proprio letto
Larry è un architetto famoso, sposato con Eve e con due bambini; Larry è però infelice: della propria vita, del lavoro, del quartiere in cui risiede. Accompagnando il figlio alla fermata del pullman conosce Margaret, giovane e bellissima casalinga che è l'antitesi di sua moglie. Vuoi che ovviamente non ci casca l'asino? Il bravo Larry, che sotto sotto poi ama sua moglie, ci casca in pieno, torna un po' un adolescente. Ma Margaret no: per lei suo marito è l'uomo della sua vita, solo che bisogna consolarsi ogni tanto di un letto un po' freddo.
Trovato al bookcrossing e letto sperando di ritrovare un libro come Il seme della violenza, essendo sempre di Hunter, ho trovato però un libro un po'... moscio, soprattutto nei personaggi accanto ai protagonisti: Eve e Don, i coniugi degli infedeli, sono persone che hanno foderato gli occhi, che fanno finta di non vedere nonostante siano avvertiti da tutti i fronti. Peccato dato che Eve è il personaggio che ho preferito.
Si legge per passare un po' di tempo altrimenti credo possiate lasciare stare, prendendomi con le pinze dato che i libri sulla middle class mi lasciano quasi sempre insoddisfatta.

[Elaine Tansley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for old black and white movies and books written in or about the 50s and 60s, so this book very much appealed to me.

What makes a good man who appears to have everything - a wife he loves, two young sons, a comfortable home and a career as an architect that he both loves and excels in - embark on an affair with a woman he sees at a bus stop one day? Both are married and have much to lose. As their steamy affair progresses we begin to understand that although neither of them can give the other up, neither has any intention of leaving their spouse. So, how long can their infidelity last before they get found out or worse?

This book is about infidelity, betrayal and much more. It is well-written, makes compelling reading and left me with an overriding feeling of great sadness. I will be reading more Evan Hunter novels soon.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an utterly wasted day of reading. Story of a happily married couple, he architect who has an affair with neighbor, death follows , she goes on to another. Perhaps shocking in 1958 but it would not even be daring enough for todays daytime soap operas. Oh yeah, there was a third rate playboy author some there in the story . not sure why. Of course , he may have been the one who wrote the thing.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review to come!

[Sergio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un romanzo sul matrimonio e l'adulterio davvero delizioso!