The Use of Fame — Cornelia Nixon

"Rarely has a marriage so come alive in a work of fiction. . . So intense, beautifully written, shining with 'felt life,' it is truly gripping -- riveting." -- Joyce Carol Oates

Abigail McCormick and Ray Stark are both poets, married nearly twentyâ€"five years in what has always been a passionate relationship despite deep class differences. Ray is the son of West Virginia coal miners and was abused as a child -- but now he is a distinguished poet with a partâ€"time position at Brown. Abby grew up in San Francisco's posh Pacific Heights and, having abandoned poetry, she spends her energy on a new teaching position at UC Berkeley. Abby's decision to accept the post sets the stage for Ray to stray, especially as he struggles with a heart condition.

He's tortured by his affair with the graduate student he's fallen in love with, but is determined to stay married -- he fights to get over Tory for years. A despairing Abby finds solace in her return to riding horses and writing poems, but as she suffers privately, she becomes dependent on sleeping pills and alcohol. Ray's health worsens -- proves nearly fatal -- and another crossâ€"country move threatens to push them further apart. Alternating seamlessly between Ray's and Abby's perspectives, The Use of Fame is a gripping exploration of how closeness and despair can warp a lover's perception.