Anatomie d'un mariage

by Virginia Reeves

« Le genre de roman que l’on n’oublie jamais. »
New York Journal of Books Edmund Malinowski, jeune psychiatre comportementaliste, est en passe d’accomplir son rêve. À trente-six ans, il vient de prendre la direction d’un établissement psychiatrique dans les montagnes du Montana. Travaillant d’arrache-pied, il délaisse trop souvent sa femme, Laura. Cette dernière a l’impression d’avoir été dupée : pour la convaincre de s’installer ici, Edmund lui avait promis qu’ils fonderaient une famille. Étaient-ce seulement des belles paroles ? Une chose est sûre, elle n’y croit plus.
Passionné, charismatique, Edmund, ambitionne avant tout de réformer la psychiatrie, d’obtenir la reconnaissance de ses pairs et de guérir ses patients. Surtout Penelope, une jeune fille épileptique internée de force par ses parents qui, voyant en lui son sauveur, tombe peu à peu sous son charme. Alors que leur relation prend une tournure des plus ambiguë, Laura décide de donner des cours de dessin aux patients de son mari, s’immisçant ainsi dans sa vie professionnelle et le forçant à réévaluer ses choix. À la manière de Richard Yates dans Les Noces Rebelles, Virginia Reeves livre à ses lecteurs une bouleversante exploration du mariage, du désir et de l’ambition. Dans un décor sublime et chaotique, porté par des personnages qui semblent prêts à exploser à tout moment, Anatomie d’un mariage est un roman d’une intelligence sans détour, captivant, auquel on ne peut s’empêcher de revenir. Traduit de l’anglais (États-Unis) par Carine Chichereau

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Mental Health, Book Club, Medical

391 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2019

About the author

Virginia Reeves is a writer and a teacher. A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers, her debut novel, Work Like Any Other, was longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and the Man Booker Prize. Booklist named it to their Top 10 First Novels of 2016, and the French translation, Un travail comme un autre won the Page/America prize and the SensCritique prize for best American debut.

After seven years in Texas, Virginia recently returned to her home in Montana. She lives in Helena with her husband, two daughters, and three-legged pit bull.

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marriages, as many of us know, are complicated relationships and this novel is a clear reflection of that. Ed and Laura’s marriage seems in trouble from the beginning. It seems as if they loved each at one time and maybe they still do, but so many things are just not working. In the alternating narratives, it’s pretty clear that they are not honest with each other, but the introspective nature of the story reflects a raw honesty of how they see each other and themselves. Ed is a psychiatrist and head of a mental facility, a good doctor, but a rotten husband. But a too close for comfort attraction to a sixteen year old patient, pushes the limits of what is ethical. He’s out drinking every night, with other women on occasion. Laura, a painter, feels ignored and is jealous of Ed’s patient had me feeling sorry for her at times, but she is also flawed. Resentments, jealously, individuals hopes and ambitious clashing, and an event that will change their lives in ways they never anticipated made this a really sad and emotional read in so many ways.

Sometimes I find it hard to read a book with characters that I don’t like or can’t connect with, but yet I found myself very much interested in what would happen to them. The story actually took a turn in a direction that I did not expect and I was even more interested. In spite of the things that I didn’t like about Ed and Laura earlier in the novel, I found Laura’s compassion, caring and sense of responsibility to be quite moving. Although the story lines are different, I found that this novel had the same introspective feel as her book Work Like Any Other and in the same way we get these fantastic character studies. I was not disappointed. Virginia Reeves is an author whose work I will watch for.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Scribner through Edelweiss.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is there anything more complex than the many faces of love? Ed is a psychologist, he is taking over a mental institution with the mission of improving its reputation and de-institutionalizing the patients. His wife Laura, a painter, has problems with her marriage, her husband's neglect and his unhealthy intimacy with a young girl under his care.

At the beginning I really didn't care much for Ed or Laura, feelings that completely changed by books end. These characters distance themselves from each other, but than something happens that brings them back into each other's orbit. There are different layers to this story. A story that shows how we change as our circumstances, situation alters. Sometimes love doesn't end, but changes into a different kind of caring. Sometimes distance allows us to see what we couldn't when we were too close. Or sometimes time passing allows us a different perspective.

The emotional and moral complexities of this story raises it from another bleak look at a marriage gone wrong, or the ambiguous love triangle. Characterization is key, and is a particular talent of this author, which I noticed in her last novel. These are characters that will stay with you, whether you like them or not.

ARC from Edelweiss.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Edward Molinowski has become a workaholic. He’s the superintendent of a mental institution that needs every second he can give it. His patients and his work take almost all of his time, leaving little for his artist wife, Laura. Laura feels that Ed just doesn’t see her anymore. Plus, he talks far too much about one of his patients – a young, beautiful teenager named Penelope. Penelope is an epileptic who calls her doctor “Dr. Ed” and who is obviously falling in love with him. When Laura starts to give art classes at the institution with Penelope as one of her students, the situation begins to heat up.

It took me awhile to get involved in this book but once I did, I was completely immersed in it. The author is adept at rendering her characters very believable and true to life. I cared for each of the main characters, although I felt a lot of anger at Ed throughout the book but that turned around to great sympathy. There are some truly touching moments in this book and those moments are what makes this a recommended book for me. The author has given her readers some wonderful insights into how love ebbs and flows and can last through so much. The several ironic events were mind blowing and will remain with me for a long time.

I was very impressed by the author’s first book, “Work Like Any Other”, so I know I went into this second book with great expectations. Not all of those expectations were met but if I don’t compare her two books in my mind, I can say that this one was very good. There are two scenes towards the end of the book, one between Ed and Laura and the other between Ed and Penelope, that were very repetitive and not to my liking. I also think the book cover will not do the book any favors as I feel it looks too light hearted for this very complex book. But overall, I found this author’s newest effort to be very compelling and gripping.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Jessica Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another beautiful and poignant novel from Virginia Reeves, this time about a damaged man and the two women he loves.

Dr. Ed Malinowski is a brilliant behaviorist running a mental institution in the 1970s. He’s a charming philanderer, much to the chagrin of his wife, Laura, who is drawn to him in spite of herself. When Ed falls in love with one of his patients, a beautiful 16-year-old epileptic named Penelope, it drives a deep and ultimately irrevocable wedge into his marriage.

I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that something happens halfway through this novel that completely changes the tone of the story in a profound and excruciating way. Ed, the successful and charismatic womanizer, suddenly loses the control he has always maintained and becomes becomes jarringly vulnerable.

The two women he loves remain, unable to let him go. It’s a stunning and devastating portrait of love, marriage, illness and healing.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
'What are you doing, Edmund? Trying to wake her up. She is not yours to wake.'

Penelope is Doctor Ed Malinowski’s favorite patient, “one of the few bright spots” in the metal hospital he is the superintendent of. From the beginning of the novel, Edmund shows himself to be a logical man, one who desperately wants to fix the shipwreck the facility is. A doctor who sees his patients beyond their illnesses, one whose art classes led by his wife, and reading groups he and another patient heads are just the sort of PR they need, after the disaster the last superintendent up and left behind. Poetry and discussion, talk about ‘feelings’, a fresh approach to treating what ails the patients behind the walls. But it is Penelope that consumes Ed more than any other. Sixteen years old, beautiful, with keen intelligence whose unpredictable seizures have made her a part of the institution, a place she never should have been sent to. It isn’t long before Ed forces Penelope’s presence on Laura, claiming it is for the “stimulation” her art classes can provide. Her refusal won’t be tolerated, it seems Penelope is her curse, meant to creep in every crevice of Laura’s life, already the focus of her husband’s every thought. How does a wife voice her fury without looking like a monster, jealous of a wounded little bird?

Yet, Ed doesn’t really want his wife working in the hospital, he has spent an inordinate amount of time on keeping his life compartmentalized, as much as his heart. Maybe Laurawill finally get pregnant, then she will have to stay away and remain home. Maybe then this art class won’t seem like a lifeline for her. It’s what they both want, to have a little family. As calm, collected as he must appear for his patients, his reactions when it comes to Penelope gives him away. He is spending far too much time with her, surely it’s not going unnoticed. Ed’s work as a behavioral psychologist is one he is proud of, patients are being treated, released. He is the man for the job, if he can’t turn the place around, no one can. The institution, however, this great opportunity for his career is stealing him away from Laura, and for all his keen observation and care for the patients, it is his wife he doesn’t see. She doesn’t feel real, solid, not when she feels invisible and unwanted. Laura sees him with perfect clarity, and everything he has been up to. “The Ed at my feet has only the troubles he’s sought out, a career helping broken people and broken places- broken things that do not include him. He has always been on the outside of suffering.” But will our Ed stay outside it all?

There is a love triangle, and a woman always knows when she is being eclipsed by another in her husband’s thoughts and longings. Under his watchful eye, Penelope is getting better and epilepsy is no longer a reason to institutionalize patients, but is Ed ready to let her go? Will he cross the line and allow himself to express the love he feels for her? Will he risk losing Laura for a taste of sweet youth? Can he keep his passions on a tight leash? Ed commits to saving so many people who need him, but it’s his own house that is crumbling.

Timing is the thing, it seems, and time can be cruel. A heart can’t build two houses within. All of our existence is about our perception, in the end, and Laura’s isn’t the same as Ed’s. Just what does Pen feel about the great Dr. Ed Malinowski? Can a man keep the love and adoration of two women going? What happens when the Doctor becomes the patient? Admittedly, the part of the story I chewed on the most is when Ed falls apart, and it all begins with a headache in his temple. This is where real love shows it’s face and confrontation between Penelope and Laura is a long time in coming and yet not your typical climax. Love stories, the ones closest to real life, are ugly and painful and this is no exception. Ed is a complex character, egocentric and yet one of the most caring doctors when it comes to patients, a selfish spouse and yet just as hungry for connection and love as any of us, even if he keeps it all ‘one-sided’. Laura and Penelope have their tale to tell and aren’t confined on the pages by the roles they play in Ed’s heart. Neither are truly the enemy, but Ed creates a hell of a storm between the two. Ed may think he has it all figured out, and he seems to be in control for a time, but love can be controlled by no man’s hand. There will come a time when Ed himself, like his patients, may need others to bring sense and order into his life and his mind.

Publication Date: May 14, 2019

Scribner

[Giada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cosa succede quando tutto va a rotoli? Quando i piani di una vita si sgretolano inesorabilmente?
È quello che succede a Fred Malinovsky, psichiatra comportamentale, che, agli inizi degli anni Settanta, arriva, con la moglie Laura, in un piccolo paese del Montana per dirigere l'ospedale psichiatrico. Ed è proprio qui che il loro rapporto inizia a scricchiolare perché Fred s'invaghisce di una paziente giovanissima: Penelope. Pen, però, sarà solo il primo passo verso un baratro emotivo che porterà entrambi a rimettere in discussione loro stessi, prima del loro rapporto.

Viriginia Reeves in "Anatomia di un matrimonio" indaga sulle conseguenze di un rapporto soffocante e delle pulsioni carnali e, nel farlo, racconta anche i tentativi della psichiatria di cambiare l'approccio medico verso i disturbi mentali.

[Valentina Zanga · Rating 2 out of 5]

dopo aver letto sto libro mi sento sporca

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of The Behavior of Love.

This is the first book I've read by this author and though I enjoyed her writing, I didn't enjoy the story or characters.

Dr. Ed is the superintendent of an institution who has fallen for one of his patients, a pretty 16 year old epileptic named Penelope.

His long suffering wife, Laura, has to deal with her husband's emotional infidelity and the fact that he cares more about his job and patients than he does for her.

Over the course of a decade, we watch the couple fight, make up, have a child, split up and endure tragedy and triumphs, sorrow and grief.

It was extremely difficult to like Ed; okay, I hated him.

There's nothing wrong with flawed characters.

We're human, we are all flawed and have issues; but Ed, despite all his degrees and education, is a dick. An adultering, cheating, selfish dick.

I have no idea why Laura and Ed got married; how they meant is explained but I still have no idea why she fell for him. They seem to have nothing in common; sure, he supports her talents as an artist but is that why?

Sexual chemistry?

But you don't marry someone because the boinking is great. At least, you shouldn't.

As a behaviorist intent on helping his institutionalized patients achieve independence and attain self esteem, Ed justifies his own bad behavior in the most self-centered and egotistical ways.

He cheats on his wife because she is not available to satisfy his physical needs; he lusts after Penny and though they never consummate their illicit relationship, when Laura finally leaves him, Ed wishes he had gone through with the affair because, at least, he had been able to satisfy his lust.

After the divorce, Ed seeks Penelope out and is devastated when she has a boyfriend, even though he had always hoped she would have a normal life.

By this point, I just wanted to throw Ed into the Great Pit of Carkoon in Return of the Jedi so he could get eaten by Sarlacc.

All he thinks about is himself.

I hated Ed, and to make it worse, he lacked any redeeming qualities. Even when he got sick, I couldn't sympathize for him.

I did empathize with Laura and her family, his friends and caregivers, but not Ed.

Nope, not happening.

Laura was marginally better as a character.

I understood her need for her husband's attention and her near irrational jealousy at Penelope, even years later, because this young girl had usurped her husband's affections.

Laura's inability to let Ed go after he became ill was more than understandable and her behavior towards him is out of love, guilt and all they have shared together, including a son.

I just couldn't understand why and how Laura and Ed fit together as a couple; I had no inkling of their chemistry, love or mutual respect for each other.

Also, everyone smokes and drinks way too much; you know this takes place decades ago because Laura smokes and drinks, even when pregnant.

I did appreciate Ed's desire to create a supportive and stimulating environment for his patients in order to integrate them back into society and the institutional setting as a backdrop to the story but these details didn't diminish my dislike for him.

The title is misleading because I did not feel love between any of the characters, not even between Laura and her second husband, Tim.

The irony that the doctor becomes a patient toward the end did not escape me but unlikable characters and a Lifetime-like plot made this an unsatisfactory read for me.

[Emma Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Switching perspectives between husband and wife, we hear their voices and see their experiences in a nuanced way that gives the reader a full picture of the experiences from both ends of the relationship.

[Sid Nuncius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Behaviour Of Love. Virginia Reeves is a fine writer and she creates a profound portrait of her two principal characters here.

This isn’t an easy book to review because the real meat of it comes in the second half and to reveal what happens would be a huge spoiler. Principally, though, this is a very intimate portrait of a marriage, of two rather different people and of love under strain. Set in the 1970s, we follow Ed and Laura Malinowski as Ed, a psychologist, becomes head of an institution in Montana for people with a variety of mental health issues, including – shockingly to a modern reader – epilepsy. Ed is a passionate and compassionate doctor, which leads him to overwork and neglect his wife and family. He is also charismatic, attractive and sexually somewhat promiscuous which leads to other problems, including in his relationship with a pretty young patient. Laura, a talented artist, finds herself isolated and neglected but determined to make a life she finds fulfilling. As the book shows us episodes over about 10 years we see how things work out (or don’t) for both Ed and Laura, with sections told from both their points of view.

It’s very well done, with the 70s background of casual sexism and widespread lack of understanding of and sympathy for metal health also very well drawn. Reeves writes very well and I found her characters engaging (if not always likeable) and very convincing.

I thought Work Like Any Other was exceptionally good. The Behaviour of Love is good, too, but perhaps not in quite the same league. Nonetheless, I can recommend it as an engaging and rewarding read.

(My thanks to Simon and Schuster for an ARC via NetGalley.)

[angela 🗡️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

ce livre est bien trop proche de la réalité, me ramenant à mes propres questionnements quant à la vie elle-même au sein d’un couple, et c’est effrayant.
l’homme est doté d’un instinct animal le menant à de grandes réussites mais également à d’horribles tragédies. dans ce roman, nous sommes témoins des deux.
lorsque les pages défilaient, je me sentais sombrer peu à peu dans la peau de notre très chère laura. je me regardais dans le miroir et avait l’impression que l’image qui m’était rendue était celle d’une femme terriblement seule, presque inconsolable. la limite du réel et de la fiction est tellement fine et fragile que je me suis sentie perdue un instant dans ce récit douloureux et pourtant si représentatif de la condition de la femme, mais également de l’homme, au sein d’un couple marié.
suis-je heureuse et aimée par mon compagnon ? suis-je comblée et l’est-il lui également ?
le cadre se trouvant au sein d’un hôpital psychiatrique, s’entrechoquant avec la demeure conjugale autant que les points de vues de nos deux protagonistes, nous plonge instantanément dans une histoire vécue, passée et datée.
je me suis sentie tellement impuissante et chagrinée, au point de ne pas réussir à lire les dernières pages sachant pertinemment quelle genre de fin s’approchait progressivement.
edmund a commis tant d’erreurs, suivant ses fantasmes, ses contradictions, sa négligence mais surtout son assiduité face à ses obligations professionnelles au dépend de sa vie sentimentale. c’était un enfant, un homme marié devenu homme marié par obligation sociale. parce qu’il a suivi le cours de la vie mais s’est très vite vu rattrapé par ses envies masculines profondes : l’attirance pour les femmes, l’alcool et l’innocence de la jeunesse.
laura, quant à elle, est une artiste emplie de lassitude. elle attend indéfiniment, espère sans réellement avoir d’espoir, souffre sans le montrer, ment sans avouer.
c’est une course à qui sera le plus distant.
edmund étant un fervent défenseur de la liberté, se démenant corps et âme pour ses patients afin qu’ils retrouvent un semblant de vie pour qu’à la fin, ce soit lui le patient, me fend le cœur en milles morceaux. laura est alors amenée à l’accompagner, développant sa compassion et retrouvant son amour infiniment puissant pour edmund était également un élément clé de ce récit.

j’ai beaucoup aimé cette lecture, la trouvant particulièrement intéressante. certains points n’étaient pas assez élucidé quant à leur rencontre et leur début de mariage.
je referai une relecture.

[Mighty Aphrodite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quello che spaventa davvero del libro di Virginia Reeves è che il suo protagonista principale, Frederick Malinowksi, è talmente realistico da assomigliare a qualsiasi uomo che abbia incrociato la nostra strada almeno una volta nella vita: sicuro di sè, egoista, deciso a piacere ad ogni costo e a nutrire il proprio ego dell’adorazione di chi lo circonda.

Certo, non c’è solo questo in “Anatomia di un matrimonio”; fortunatamente il lettore ha la possibilità di navigare anche attraverso i pensieri e le sensazioni della moglie di Frederick, Laura, un contraltare rabbioso e tormentato alla più immediata animalità del marito. Convinta a trasferirsi in Montana dalle ambizioni del marito e dalla speranza di costruire finalmente una famiglia numerosa e felice, la donna si trova ad affrontare una realtà a lei sconosciuta, a dover prendere le misure con una nuova solitudine, mentre si aggira per un appartamento vuoto e freddo in cui Frederick sembra solo un ospite di passaggio tra un’emergenza e l’altra all’istituto Boulder che ora dirige.

È facile così per Laura scivolare nel silenzio e nei segreti: quante cose si possono nascondere al proprio marito prima di essere scoperte, prima di capire che ormai non è rimasto altro che quello tra loro? Un lavoro, una gravidanza, la gelosia per una ragazza che sembra essere troppo al centro dei pensieri di Frederick e che è addirittura una sua paziente?

Continua a leggere qui: https://parlaredilibri.wordpress.com/...

[Danielle Teller]

I appreciated the art and the craft of this novel, but I wasn't captivated by the story. The author managed to create layers that I enjoyed intellectually—themes about speech/language, institutionalization, disconnection—but I didn't buy the love part, which is essentially the whole story. The two main characters are introduced after their marriage is already on the rocks, so we get only glimpses of what made them fall in love. Witnessing only the bad parts of a marriage makes it hard to believe that these two characters remain deeply bonded on some level (or anyway, hard to root for that bond). The other corner of the "love triangle" is even more wobbly; the relationship is barely developed at all, and it is undermined by its creepiness (a doctor falling for a patient who is also still a child...yikes.) Despite not believing in the motivations of the characters, I still wanted to read on to find out what would happen to them, and that is a huge testament to the talent of the author.

[jaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

des larmes, des larmes et encore des larmes. rarement lu un livre aussi beau et émouvant. suivre la vie de couple d'ed et laura sur plus d'une décennie tout en gardant l'importance de chaque fait divers et personnage secondaire, c'était juste parfait. et puis cette fin qui s'annonce tout naturellement, grosses larmes

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't really know why I picked it up even tough this dealt with cheating and I hate that. I didn't get on with the story either, just didn't redeem it self. It's not a bad book just not one for me

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant and beautifully developed characters

[Marie Liagre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommandé par une amie, je n’ai pas été convaincue par la couverture. Je me suis ennuyée jusqu’au tiers du livre mais avec du recul, je pense que c’était le souhait de l’auteur de nous immiscer au sein de ce couple. Un livre, cependant, d’une infinie tendresse qui nous questionne sur l’Amour inconditionnel.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't find the writing style engaging, but I did become engrossed in what would happen to the characters. I was surprised to find the ending so emotionally wrenching.
Mostly, I enjoyed that it's set in my town.

[Christine Picard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️

Edmund est un brillant psychiatre, chargé d’un hôpital pour personnes lourdement handicapées, dans les montagnes du Montana. Le roman trace son parcours professionnel et personnel du début des années 70 au début des années 80. Son ascension et sa chute, en quelque sorte.

Quand il emménage au Montana, il est accompagné de son épouse Laura, belle artiste qui a tout quitté pour le suivre au milieu de nul part. Pourtant, elle ne s’épanouit pas dans cette vie et a l’impression de disparaître aux yeux de son mari. Elle se voit devenir un meuble, au fur et à mesure que le travail accapare Edmund et qu’il est fasciné par Pénélope, une jeune patiente adolescente qui a toute sa tête malgré ses crises d’épilepsie.

Laura aura des choix à faire pour sauver son mariage, choix qu’elle regrettera (ou pas), mais qu’elle n’assumera jamais tout à fait.

Un brillant roman psychologique sur l’importance que l’on accorde aux personnes dans nos vies et sur la façon dont on les traite lorsqu’elles cessent d’être utiles à nos desseins. Une histoire d’amour compliquée, douloureuse, et interminable.

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down.

At first I fell for Ed's charm, a handsome, intelligent doctor. How easy it would be for 16 year old patient Penelope to do the same. She doesn't see what Laura sees. The coming home late every night, the prostitutes, the lack of time and attention he puts into his marriage & wife.
The book takes a turn I wasn't expecting. These characters I had grown to dislike I now pitied. Yet I couldn't stop reading. I was invested in their story.
And damn, ending the book like that. I had to read the last chapter twice to make sure what I was reading was true.

This book won't leave my thoughts for a while.

[Danita White · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 stars!!!!

Best book of all time. Some authors cannot pull off novels about psych wards or institutions. But this author did it effortlessly!!!

It had everything-love, psychology, romance, did I say love???? What more can you ask for in a book?

(Spoiler alert) I really wish Ed could have returned back to being with one or BOTH of his women, however, I can only wish.....

[Ivana Mendez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read!!! The characters were deep and very well-developed. The story spans 10 years and I wanted more! The writer does a fantastic job of making the reader care about a character who is very unlikable, at first.

[Erica Witsell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! In fact, when my plane was delayed for hours on the tarmac, I hardly noticed because I was in Montana with these unforgettable characters. Reeves writes with insight about the complexity of marriage, desire, and the changing nature of self.

[Ma petite bibliothèque · Rating 1 out of 5]

C'est l'histoire d'un couple, de doutes, des petites trahisons du quotidien, du manque et de l'infidélité.
Edmund est médecin dans l'établissement psychiatrique d'une petite ville du Montana. Il est passionné par son travail et ne compte pas ses heures. Sa femme Laura, qui avait pour ambition de vivre de sa peinture, l'a suivie malgré elle. Elle s'ennuie et se sent délaissée par ce mari qui ne la voit plus.
Pénélope, jeune patiente d'Ed, va malgré elle venir déchirer le voile d'illusion flottant encore sur ce mariage.

Avis
Depuis un an je participe au comité de lecture de la médiathèque de ma commune. Ce que j'aime dans cet exercice c'est de lire hors de mes habitudes, de mes goûts personnels afin de se mettre à la place d'autres lecteurs et voir ce qui pourrait leur plaire ou non.
C'est dans ce cadre que j'ai lu Anatomie d'un mariage.

L'intrigue est très classique : un homme qui travaille trop, une épouse délaissée et une "lolita" au milieu. L'histoire nous est racontée de deux points de vue : celui de Laura, écrit à la 1ere personne, et celui d'Ed écrit à la 3e personne. Si ce procédé narratif permet d'être au plus proche du ressenti de Laura, cela met une distance avec Ed. J'ai eu beaucoup de mal avec ce dernier. Son personnage est présenté comme un bon père, un bon médecin, un homme passionné professionnellement. Il n'est un mauvais mari QUE parce qu'il néglige de ce fait son épouse qu'il aime par ailleurs. Mouais enfin Ed trompe régulièrement Laura (mais parce que elle n'a pas envie et puis c'est juste sexuel donc ça ne compte pas 🤦‍♀️), il passe son temps à boire du whisky (bon tous les personnages en fait), il fantasme sur une patiente (oups!) mineure (mais très belle, intelligente et mature pour son âge 😩), refuse que sa femme travaille (c'est les 70's) et lui impose un rapport sexuel (non c'est pas un viol puisque finalement elle y a pris du plaisir 😱). Bref, malgré le fait qu'Ed soit un connard fini, le portrait qui est fait de lui dans le livre est plutôt celui d'un pauvre gars qui n'a pas vu le naufrage venir et su l'empêcher.
Dommage pourtant car le dernier tiers du roman se montrait plus intéressant. Suite à un événement, les relations entre les protagonistes se révèlent plus complexes, plus profondes, et soulèvent des questions sur la place de celui/celle que l'on a aimé quand la perte de tout survient et que la culpabilité de ce qui a été ou aurait pu être accompagne vos pensées. L'histoire aurait gagnée à s'étendre plus sur cette partie du récit en approfondissant les thèmes du conflit de loyauté, du sens du devoir et surtout cette question : un mariage prend t-il jamais réellement fin ?

Bref, vous l'aurez compris, je n'ai pas vraiment aimé Anatomie d'un mariage. Il y a tellement de livres à lire et celui-ci est, selon moi, tout à fait dispensable.

[hiaa123 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I think I liked it by the end but I almost abandoned it many times during the first half.

Starting off, I hated Ed Malinowski. He's selfish, self-absorbed, and repulsive. Actually, all of the men in the novel, and their treatment of women, is horrifying (are men really that gross?). Ed has extremely questionable morals and his whole relationship with Penelope and his justifications to himself were sickening. Not only did it bug me that he's so attracted to his 16 year old patient, but it's so much worse that other characters define her as "temptation" rather than acknowledging that she is essentially a child in a vulnerable position. I hated that Ed is a passionate, well-intentioned behaviourist who is good at his job and actually does care about his patients (why do bad people have to have good qualities? I hate dealing with that complexity). I wanted to like and sympathize with Laura but her jealousy of Penelope made that impossible. I expect better of an adult woman. It was a struggle for me to read the first half because I was continuously disgusted by all the characters.

For some reason, I kept reading. I guess I wanted to give it a chance because the writing is well done and I still found the concept of the book to be interesting. The second half of the book takes a different direction and suddenly you're in a different world and life has moved on. I still didn't like the characters but I found myself feeling a tenderness for their humanness. Laura and Penelope and Ed's situation made me think of my own complicated relationship with my father. I felt so much sympathy for the situation that the characters found themselves in and it just felt like reality in general. This book is life as it really is (though I still really hope not), not how I wish it to be. The Behavior of Love effectively portrays flawed humans, complex relationships, and bleak realities of life but I'm still a romantic idealist.

[Alex-Mot-à-Mots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le roman aurait pu s’appeler « Anatomie d’une chute d’un mariage ».

De l’autrice, il y a quelques années, j’avais aimé Un travail comme un autre, sur la fée électricité.

Ce roman-ci est un peu moins loufoque et poétique, plus terre à terre.

La vie du couple se déroule dans le Montana dans les années 70-80. Ed travaille comme psy comportementaliste dans l’hôpital de la ville, sa femme Laura ne s’épanouit pas dans son mariage.

D’entrée de jeu, nous sommes en présence d’un couple qui se cache des choses : Laura travaille sans le dire à son mari, celui-ci est amoureux d’une de ses patientes (Penelope).

J’ai découvert la psychiatrie de ces années-là : dortoir de dizaines de lits (donc sommeil compliqué), pas de médicaments, juste des prescription de boire beaucoup d’eau et de s’alimenter convenablement. Comme si il n’y avait pas d’avenir possible.

J’ai aimé que Laura donne des cours de dessin à certains élèves de l’hôpital de son mari, qu’elle aussi s’attache à certains.

J’ai été effarée de lire les personnages fumant et buvant sans limite. Même Laura pendant ses grossesses n’a aucune restriction de la part de son médecin. Une autre époque…

L’écriture est assez banale et n’a suscité au moment de ma lecture qu’une légère empathie. Pourtant, quelques jours après, je me souviens avec tendresse de ce couple qui a fait ce qu’il a pu.

Une citation :

Devrait est une manière de se cacher la réalité. Il indique le fantasme, quelque chose qu’on veut mais qu’on n’a pas atteint, un projet qui ne s’est pas matérialisé. Il souligne ce qui n’est pas. (p.243)

L’image que je retiendrai :

Celle de l’hôpital vétuste dans lequel travaille Ed : le troisième étage a brûlé mais n’a jamais été nettoyé, de la suie est encore présente dans les étages du dessous.

https://alexmotamots.fr/anatomie-dun-...

[Laetitia]

Nous sommes en 1971 lorsqu'Edmund et Laura Malinowski s'installent dans le Montana. Il prend la direction d'un �tablissement psychiatrique tandis que sa femme tente de reprendre son activit� artistique : la peinture. De guerre lasse, elle int�gre Boulder pour y animer un atelier artistique, dans l'espoir de renouer les fils de leur mariage. C'�tait sans compter sur les patient.e.s qui accaparent Ed, surtout une patiente : P�n�lope, jeune �pileptique. Car oui, dans les ann�es 1970, le "grand mal" �tait encore trait� en H.P. L'ouvrage se termine 10 ans plus tard : leurs situations a bien chang�, mais Boulder reste leur point de mire.J'�tais attir�e par le th�me principal du roman : le traitement psychiatrique dans les ann�es 1970. M�me si le sujet a visiblement �t� fouill� par l'autrice pour que son roman soit au plus pr�s de cette r�alit�, ce th�me m'est finalement apparu plut�t secondaire. L'autre axe important de cette Anatomie d'un mariage est �videmment l'amour conjugal : comment le quotidien, la jalousie, les aspirations et d�fauts des membres d'un couple peut renforcer ou g�cher les liens qui les unissent ? Je ne me suis pas vraiment attach�e au personnage mais j'ai aim� suivre leurs p�r�grinations. Surtout celles de Laura, qui livre ses sentiments � la premi�re personne. La vision d'Ed est racont�e � la troisi�me personne, ce qui met une certaine distance entre lui et nous.Le style de Virginia Reeves agr�able, la construction simple (intermittence des visions d'Ed et de Laura) et le rythme tranquille rende le roman facile et rapide � lire. Il m'a cependant manqu� cette pointe d'originalit� dans l'�criture, malgr� les quelques surprises narratives, pour m'impliquer vraiment dans cette lecture. Mon avis est donc plut�t mitig� : peut-�tre suis-je pass�e � c�t� de l'essentiel ?

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is the behavior of one who loves? What is the behavior of one who is loved? There are several kinds of love in this immensely readable novel, each unique and unforgettable.

Dr. Ed Malinowski has just accepted a position as the Director of the Boulder River School and Hospital in Boulder, Montana, in 1971. He brings with him a beautiful and creative artistic wife named Laura. It doesn't take long to see that Ed's job is consuming way too much of his time, and that Laura is feeling more and more neglected.

He is passionate and ambitious, and has been hired to turn around the institution and put its bottom line firmly in the black, which he sees happening by deinstitutionalizing many of the patients. We are taken inside the walls of the Boulder River School and Hospital, and soon discover that it is really an institution for those who cannot live independently and those who can. Some are comatose, some are autistic, most are not dangerous. Penelope, as an example, has epilepsy, and probably should never have been committed to Boulder.

Within the pages of this haunting story, we see Ed, Laura and Penelope exhibiting remarkable kinds of love, along with other characters whose interactions are just as compelling and selfless.

This carefully researched and powerful novel, along with its disturbing questions about mental health and its treatments, will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

I read this as a Library Book. Published by Scribner, 2019

[Amanda Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting on multiple fronts, this story evokes a gamut of emotions.

It's 1970s Montana, and Ed and Laura have recently moved to the middle of nowhere so Ed can run a home for the mentally disabled. Once they get settled in, Ed throws himself into his work, and Laura begins to feel like she's slowly disappearing. Instead of noticing Laura's struggles, Ed has his eye on a certain teenage patient, who just happens to be beautiful, and "normal" other than having epilepsy.

As Ed grows closer to his patient, Penelope, Laura begins to grow jealous of this teenage girl with whom she suspects Ed is having an affair. And then, as their marriage is growing more troubled, Laura finds herself pregnant.

The last straw for Laura is when Ed misses the birth of their child because he is with Penelope. But once Ed realizes how he's lost Laura, he makes changes in his behavior that Laura wanted him to make years prior.

This story is about marital ties and how there are some people in your life that you can never get over. It's about betrayal, and how far can someone push another person without losing them forever. It's about a man whom is consistently described as charming, but instead comes off as creepy, lecherous, and without many redeeming qualities.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, even if I didn't always agree with the author's characterization of Ed as "always charming". I wonder if that was intentional? I won a copy through First Reads.

[Robert Slack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this novel due to the theme of deinstitutionalisation, a subject of interest to me. This is presented in a particularly interesting personal narrative in this story, if not something that is dealt with in depth. The various thematic threads illustrate how the release from and the need for institutions affect the characters in the novel in a complex interplay between them. And there is a significant ironic twist in the tale that comes like a bolt out of the blue, which is perhaps an indicator of just how life events trigger major changes in our perceptions. One of the other two major themes of the novel, marriage and its complex and often difficult nature, deals with the strong bonds that come to exist between people, even in relationships that aren't good enough to hold. The other major theme being love, and how this can exist in both good and bad relationships, and how, aspects of a good relationship, may not, in the end, satisfy all the needs and desires of a person. Underlying these major themes are the central themes of predestination and volatile change in peoples lives. Change that occurs at unexpected times and in unexpected ways, bringing with it unpredictable outcomes and challenges. But also change is shown to bring promise of a better understanding of ourselves and the ways we might move forward in our lives. In essence, there's a lot happening in this novel, and it all feels very real, very flawed, very human, and often quite beautiful.