The Arrangement

January 9, 2017
Dunn (The Big Love) again plumbs the messiness and fallibility of romantic relationships in her latest novel. This time, the couple at its center, inspired by rumors of how well such arrangements have worked for acquaintances, embark on an experiment in open marriage, with hilarious results. Lucy, exhausted by caring for the couple’s young autistic son, proposes the test run, and Owen, equally burned out by his uninspiring career, eagerly agrees to abide by the ground rules, which include a strict six-month time limit. Complications naturally ensue, especially when one member of the couple breaks rule number two: “No falling in love.” Owen and Lucy’s misadventures are interspersed with quotes from a fictional self-help guru (and decided monogamy skeptic), as well as with glimpses into the equally imperfect love lives of Lucy and Owen’s friends and neighbors in their idyllic Hudson Valley village. At times these minor characters’ foibles border on the cartoonish, but they nevertheless contribute to an overall levity of tone that helps buoy what could otherwise have become a veritable catalogue of failing relationships.

January 15, 2017
This novel about a couple that agrees to have an open marriage, for a limited time only and while adhering to certain rules, is a polished, amusing, and highly entertaining take on modern relationships, parenthood, and suburbia.When Owen and Lucy--an attractive young married couple who, shortly after their on-the-spectrum 5-year-old son, Wyatt, was born, swapped their hip New York City existence for life in a small, "pretty Norman Rockwell-y" Hudson Valley town--first hear, one boozy night, about Brooklyn friends' plan to allow each other to have sex with other people, they are scandalized. But soon, they find themselves drawing up a set of rules spelling out for themselves a similar arrangement, a finite period of infidelity, a six-month marital "rumspringa," Owen calls it: no falling in love, no talking about it or snooping, no sex with anyone in their crowd, no looking too happy, and definitely no leaving. "We're joking about this, right?" Owen asks. "Yes, we're joking," says Lucy. But then, it turns out, no, they aren't. What follows is a superfun, pleasingly light romp through the promise and pitfalls of marital infidelity, the trials and rewards of parenting, and the joys and frustrations of life in an upscale small town for the transplanted urban couple. The premise may sound contrived, its subject matter trite and fluffy, and its characters overly stereotypical, and it likely would be in less able hands. But Dunn, an accomplished TV writer and producer (Murphy Brown, Spin City, Bunheads, American Housewife) who has written two previous novels (The Big Love, 2004, and Secrets to Happiness, 2009), is a total pro--and the book is smartly conceived, sharply written, perfectly paced, and, even at its most madcap moments, entirely believable and engaging. Despite Owen and Lucy's self-made troubles, they are eminently sympathetic and disarmingly appealing, as are the parade of amusing supporting characters and plotlines. (More Sunny Bang, please!) Chick lit? Perhaps, but, witty and well-written, it's the most satisfying sort--a true guilty pleasure. Dunn's dryly humorous story about a marriage that goes dangerously off-road never loses its groove.

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February 1, 2017

Manhattanites-turned-suburbanites Lucy and Owen are enjoying a drunken night at a summer party, when the topic of open marriage comes up. Responsible Lucy wants nothing to do with it, until she realizes after being married for nine years and raising an autistic son together, their marriage could maybe benefit from this experiment. Thus, "the arrangement" is made. Lucy and Owen lay down the ground rules, including a six-month time frame, no questions asked, and no falling in love. What starts out as an experiment takes a turn when Lucy meets Ben, and Owen meets Izzy. Dunn's sophomore work (after The Big Love) is as hilarious as it is sensitive. From raising chickens to children, copping your own kid's ADD medication to cancer, Dunn expertly reveals the intricacies that make up a marriage. Her characters are sure to strike a chord with readers, as they struggle to define themselves and their roles as spouses. VERDICT Dunn makes her mark in women's fiction with this multilayered novel that takes readers from funny to serious in a story full of truths, lies, and everything in between.--Erin Holt, Williamson Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2017
Owen and Lucy have carved out a fairly idyllic niche for themselves in Beekman, New York. Far enough from the city to own a house and raise chickens in the backyard, but close enough to commute occasionally, Beekman is full of hip suburbanites all convincing themselves that they're happier outside Manhattan. Owen and Lucy are happy, but they could be happiercouldn't everyone? They decide to embark on a six-month marital test: an open marriage, with some ground rules. Despite their careful planning, they have no idea how their experiment will end, or what it will mean for their marriage. Dunn's peek inside a seemingly normal relationship exposes the deepest thoughts of a husband, wife, and the people they decide to include in their experiment. Lucy and Owen are relatable, realistic, and resilient, and Dunn's television-writing background is evident in her witty dialogue. She grounds her novel in the minutia of suburban life, contrasting the heady days of new romance with school drop-offs and soccer games. Fans of Matthew Norman, Greg Olear, and Meg Wolitzer will adore this engaging and exhilarating expose.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)