The Wall Street Journal-20080112-WEEKEND JOURNAL- Books- The Politics of Marriage- A novel about a Washington couple- a reviewer who knows the turf
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WEEKEND JOURNAL; Books: The Politics of Marriage; A novel about a Washington couple; a reviewer who knows the turf
The Senator's Wife
By Sue Miller
Knopf, 306 pages, $24.95
"WHY NOT a book called 'The Senator's Husband'?" That was my husband's question when I, a senatorial spouse, brought home Sue Miller's "The Senator's Wife." Given that there are 16 women currently serving in the U.S. Senate, a novel about the trials of a forlorn husband forgotten in the shadow of his powerful Senate wife seems overdue. If anyone wants to write that book, I would -- as the owner of the Strand Bookstore in New York -- happily promote it.
Ms. Miller, however, breaks no such new ground with her portrayal of a popular but wayward U.S. senator and the wife who stands by him even as, it seems, his private life forces him to retire. The author's description of doing good works as a dreary "requirement" for the spouses of politicians will fall flat for many in Washington who see public service as a calling, and her characterization of infidelity as a "Washington disease" is cause for some serious eye-rolling. The nation's capital, alas, has no special claim on that aspect of human conduct; it just gets more ink.
But the lack of depth in Ms. Miller's stereotypical view of Washington stands in stark contrast to the complex and beautifully drawn female characters that make "The Senator's Wife" such a good read. She draws readers into a sensual world where screen doors smell like rust, where the pleasure of smoking is signaled by the smell of sulfur with the striking of a match, where riding in a car with an elderly person behind the wheel, "whimsically" stepping on the gas and brakes, feels "like being in a rocking chair." With her keen eye and precise prose, Ms. Miller expertly conveys the passage of time and the evolution of emotions, giving readers the sense of lives fully lived.
The story begins with Meri, a newly married and soon pregnant Midwesterner, moving to New England with her college-professor husband; their neighbors are Tom and Delia Naughton, though Tom, now a retired senator, spends most of his time in Washington working at a law firm. Delia becomes a catalyst for Meri's growth as the insecurity of a woman at the start of her marriage strangely parallels that of her neighbor, who is now in her 70s and well aware that life can sometimes be messy.
As their friendship grows, Delia and Meri offer readers a curious look into the roles that women play in relationships, challenging us to examine what is and is not acceptable when it comes to love. Should all marriages have the same set of rules? Does every mother feel unblinkered love for her newborn child? While these seem to be rather trite plot-pushing questions, they are exquisitely true-to-life, and Ms. Miller keeps the reader engaged through the honesty of her characters.
Delia, as she reflects on her life in a marriage that has tested the limits of forgiveness, provides Meri with the book's central tenet: "You can get used to anything." As wives and mothers, Delia and eventually Meri act out the truth of that maxim. But Ms. Miller does offer a warning by the end of the book: The act of accommodation is not without a price and is never protection from getting hurt. Delia's choices in life are reflected, after she dies, in her obituary's headline: "Senator's Wife Dies at 89."
As a real-life senator's wife, I found that certain elements in Delia Naughton's story rang true. I have learned a special appreciation for volunteering, have acquired much practice when it comes to writing thank-you notes and understand the need to let my husband take center stage so that he can better serve his constituents. But I am also encouraged by the differences between my life and Sue Miller's fictional senator's wife. Like many of today's Senate spouses, I struggle to balance not only life as a wife and mother but also the demands of my own business and career. Who knows -- someday, maybe they'll write a book about my spouse titled "The Bookseller's Husband."
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Ms. Wyden, the third-generation owner of the Strand Bookstore in New York, is married to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.).
