Marriage Dance

Patrick Pfister

 

ISBN 978-1-959556-47-3     238 pages     $20.00

Sinking in moral quicksand, caught between a disturbed psyche and divorce in a nation of dazed minds, marriage therapist Ryan Mathiesson has one path to survival: he must learn to rock his solitude and stay footloose in a mad whirling dance.

With a heaving ocean and magical fog as background, Marriage Dance tells an extraordinary story of inner revelations. Pfister gradually enters the soul of every character peeling away their masks and elaborate lies until finally revealing their virtues, failings, and yearnings. The swaying images and pirouetting circumstances endear the reader from beginning to end.  All of this is told in precise language underscoring Pfister’s mastery of the narrative medium. A delicious dance not to be missed.

     Jorge Armenteros,

author of We Are Not But We Are

 

Here is a noir-esque page-turner par excellence. Pfister's protagonist is a stumbling marriage counselor in Monterey. “But I am polarized. Like everyone else, I oppose myself.” Glistening seascapes undercut the staid melancholy, and a whirl of dust motes and strapless lace revolve us in the genre.

     Sarah Riggs,

author of The Nerve Epistle

 

Marriage Dance is no waltz or tango of love. It’s an emotional, spiritual mosh pit, a jitterbug of truth and deceit.  It even manages to dance a twist at the end.

     Terry Wooten,

Michigan Notable Book Award

 

Pfister’s novel blends noir with magazine journalism, achieving not only a riveting story but a mesmerizing philosophical discourse on love. The result is lyrical, precise, and fast-paced, without sacrificing heart or wit. This is one of those rare books you can enjoy at the beach or savor in a hushed library corner.

     Christine Stoddard,

author of Water for the Cactus Woman

 

Ryan is a disillusioned marriage counselor tempted into an enigmatic couple’s web of intrigue. To survive, he must confront his failure to live up to his own ideals of honesty and trust and simultaneously reawaken his belief in the redemptive power of love. A delightful post-modern tale...  repackaging eternal questions of romance.

     David Nel.lo,

Premi Sant Jordi Novelist

Patrick Pfister is the author of the novels American Sadhu and North Beach Hotel, as well as the short story collection, Far from Home, all published by Spuyten Duyvil.   He has also written two books of travel literature: Pilgrimage: Tales from the Open Road and Over Sand & Sea, and a book of poetry, El Camino & Other Travel Poems.  His work has been selected for several Travelers’ Tales anthologies, including Best Travel Writing 2007.  He is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee for fiction.  His short stories and poetry have appeared in numerous literary magazines, including Gargoyle, Juked, Bellevue Literary Review and many others.  He is the director and producer of two award-winning documentary films: The Stone Circle and Poetry, New York, both selected numerous international film festivals.  He lives in Barcelona, Spain.  patrickpfister.com