A Better Man

by Leah McLaren Narrated by Eva Kaminsky

Overview

What if the only way you could get out of your marriage was to become the perfect husband?

Nick and Maya Wakefield's relationship has been in crisis since Maya left her high-powered legal career to stay home with their now 3-year-old twins. Today she feels invisible, anxious, and under-appreciated, and Nick has checked out of family life. Sex is a distant memory and the love is gone.

A workaholic and a consummate flirt, Nick has decided he wants out. But he balks when their old friend, a divorce attorney, shows him that as sole breadwinner, he stands to lose the most. Together, he and his friend hatch a plan: Nick will act like an ideal husband and father in order to ease the pain of leaving and make out better in court. So he encourages Maya to go back to work, spends time with the kids, and even takes her on a vacation without them. But with his cynical ruse comes a surprising change of heart. Nick is astonished to find his actual emotions match his act and now his marriage is truly on the mend. That is, until Maya finds out, and Nick's world falls to pieces. Now his only hope of saving his family is to prove to his wife that he really is the man he was pretending to be.

A Better Man is a sharply observant novel of the pitfalls of marriage and success, and how one couple must lose it all before they can hope to find their way back.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"This brilliantly written read is original, surprising, funny and clever. I raced to the end, totally engrossed by McLaren's forensic examination of the demise of this very modern marriage. Wonderful-I loved it."—Daily Mail

"A Better Man is a deft blend of comedy, wisdom, and character, and it's one of the most entertaining books of its kind you're likely to find. . . . a gripping, intimate book that will thrill with its juicy plot and win you over with its powerful insights into relationships."—BookPage

"Humorous and vividly drawn. . . . A perfect beach book."—Kirkus Reviews

"McLaren's tale of a failing modern marriage and the individual journeys of her two flawed protagonists is a smart cautionary tale about what happens when all one's wishes begin to come true. ...McLaren's patient, detailed narrative allows the reader to track their evolution intimately, and appreciate the changes they have wrought in themselves, and their marriage, and leave them with a hope of better things still to come."—RT Book Reviews

"A surprisingly beautiful novel. . . McLaren's deft prose crackles."—The Globe and Mail

"Supremely entertaining, perceptive, and laugh-out-loud funny, A Better Man is certainly one of the year's best novels. Leah McLaren's book is a tender, true and pitch-perfect portrait of contemporary love, marriage and parenthood, and the complex and uncertain definition of what it means to be 'happy.'"—Julia Fierro, author of Cutting Teeth

"Leah McLaren's A Better Man is ruthless and heartwarming by turns, filled with characters who refuse to conform to expectations. McLaren digs into the disorienting, hilarious, and sometimes flat-out absurd negotiations of modern relationships and identities with a sharp eye and a sharper wit."— Grace O'Connell, award-winning author of Magnified World

"In this engrossing new novel, Leah McLaren deftly balances humour and pathos to weave a touching, entertaining portrait of a marriage in crisis. A great read!"—Terry Fallis, bestselling author of No Relation

"Inside every couple's marriage is a secret known only to them. One of the many pleasures of Leah McLaren's novel is the way she opens a window onto that secret, with great heart and wit. Wince in recognition then laugh out loud, just like life."—Elizabeth Renzetti, author of Based on a True Story

PRAISE FOR THE CONTINUITY GIRL

"Witty. . . . McLaren's writing is crisp and her characters are surprisingly fresh, resulting in a novel that celebrates breaking away from the expected."—Publishers Weekly

"Savvy, insightful, and hysterically funny. I absolutely loved it."—Lauren Weisberger

"Leah McLaren is a wit for the ages."—Toby Young, author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

The Globe and Mail

A Better Man is unexpectedly beautiful, a tale of what happens when lovers lose sight of one another during life’s journey.

Kirkus Reviews

2015-06-25
McLaren (The Continuity Girl, 2009) brings us the story of a marriage straining under the weight of parenthood. This romance novel for the post-marriage set introduces college sweethearts Nick and Maya, who have moved from hot sex to separate bedrooms and mismatched priorities after the birth of their twins, Foster and Isla. Nick, a brand-obsessed commercial filmmaker, is unhappy with his wife, a high-powered attorney-turned-humorless stay-at-home mom, who's now obsessed "with nitrates, toxins, and evil ingredients." While Maya fantasizes about the past and her personal trainer, Nick dreams of divorce and other women. As Maya consults a self-help book that tells her to state her deepest desire and it will come, Nick consults Adam Gray, a lawyer friend who warns that as the family's breadwinner, Nick will pay dearly for the divorce he wants. Just as Maya wishes for her marriage to return to its golden days, Nick embarks on a plan to restore balance before he files for divorce. Despite the heavy subject matter, McLaren keeps the tone light and airy throughout. Nick's shiftlessness and Maya's neurosis are humorous and vividly drawn, starting from the moment Maya uses her own mouth to suction snot from her daughter's nose. Sometimes McLaren strains to make the plot as deep as the characterizations. Adam Gray's long-standing love for Maya leads to declarations that conveniently work to distance Nick and Maya. In one page, Foster morphs from calling Maya "pooey bum head" to a toddler philosopher: "Even when Daddy's home, it's like he's away." A perfect beach book for those who like their reading light and their endings happy.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170262892
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	07/07/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged

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