Marrying Kind

by K.L. Cook

In his fourth book of fiction, award-winning novelist and short story writer K. L. Cook explores marriage--not only to people, but to places and vocations--and how our lives are shaped by both the ideal and reality of lifelong commitments. A bride and groom discover secrets during their Las Vegas honeymoon and, years later, grapple with emotional and moral fissures in their relationship. A bankrupt academic flees to the Florida coast with his family and finds provisional hope in a big fish story. A fifteen-year-old boy sees Shakespeare's plays in the Colorado mountains, an experience that marries him for life to the theatre. A college dean and his attorney wife face unexpected changes that force them to re-envision their understanding of home. With insight, empathy, and humor, this collection of stories examines who and what we wed and what it means to be the marrying kind.
Spanning America from east to west, as well as decades, the stories in Marrying Kind are rich with vivid characters who breathe on the page. Every story has moments of brilliance that will break your heart. When you finish, you ll be moved to start over again. Joseph M. Schuster, author of The Might Have Been

302 pages, Paperback

Published October 6, 2019

Reviews

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marrying Kind is a short story collection comprised of intense, yet relatable, relationships. While some are actual marriages, most are marriages of a different sort: guy friends, jobs, pets and humans, a family who unexpectedly becomes homeless, a connection to place, a social group soured by a newcomer, co-workers. Cook opens our minds to a perspective that the word marriage means more than the joining of two persons in legal union; it can also be any close association.
K. L. Cook brings us all the Marrying Kind stories with insight and heart. He’s an award-winning novelist with The Girl From Charnelle, Last Call, and Love Songs for the Quarantined. In weeks, he’ll be releasing two new books, Lost Soliloquies, and The Art of Disobedience.

[Lailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marrying Kind is a quietly powerful collection that explores commitment in its many forms - marriage, place, work, and calling - without forcing easy conclusions. K. L. Cook writes with empathy and restraint, allowing the emotional weight of each story to unfold naturally through believable characters and situations. The stories feel grounded and human, often lingering with you after you finish reading. This is a thoughtful book for readers who appreciate subtle, honest fiction about how lives are shaped over time.