158 Pound Marriage

This is the tale of two couples who decide to share each other, or become a ménage à quatre, in an attempt to even out things in their relationships. It's Edith and Severin in one corner, Utchka and the unnamed, unreliable narrator in the other. The title of the book relates to wrestling, but the fighting image is close enough...anyway, Edith and the narrator have two things in common: they are both trying to be writers and they both met their spouses while traveling in Vienna. Severin and Utchka share a native language and have both lost family and suffered as children during WWII. Severin teaches German, but it's his position as a wrestling coach that is important to him.

John Irving has an outstanding talent for character development, and these well-drawn characters play a part in a fascinating drama. Is this all about sex, or something more? What are each of the four getting out of this arrangement? Unsurprisingly, one person will eventually call an end to this entanglement, and even though they all know that this is inevitable, it doesn't prevent the emotional upset that ensues.

There is some interesting use of symbolism throughout the book, and Irving's writing style is always very pleasing. I enjoyed it, though it always bothers me a little when the narrator remains nameless. In this case, I'd like to know who to slap, though I admit that by the end, I was pulling for him to make things right again with Utchka, the only one who seems to understand herself and who is understandably very hurt.