The Use of Fame
A Novel
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"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 twenty–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 part–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 cross–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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nixon's (Angels Go Naked) fourth novel follows the electricity and heartbreak of the bicoastal marriage of two teachers and poets. Ray, 52, and Abby, 60, have been married for 25 years, and they have beaten the odds and remained close through time. Ray teaches part-time at Brown while Abby holds a full-time position at Berkeley. Ray has fallen in love with one of his former grad students, Tory, but he is afraid that giving up Abby would destroy him. Their commuter marriage allows them to miss each other, but it also means less time to deal with issues in their relationship. When Abby learns of Ray's feelings for Tory, she wonders whether her neediness has driven him into another woman's arms, while Ray has been feeling that Abby is neglecting their relationship. Neither seems to be a whole person alone. They try to stay together, even planning to move together to Miami when Ray is offered a job there, but their plan never comes to fruition. As time wears on, Abby deals with financial problems, and Ray with continuing health problems and questions about his recent life changes. The reality of trying to make love last is shown with poise and grace, and all the situation's complexity nuance rings true in Nixon's honest prose and nuanced characters.
