Essayist Kimberly Harrington (Amateur Hour: Motherhood in Essays and Swear Words) brings her signature wit to But You Seemed So Happy: A Marriage, in Pieces and Bits, 30 essays reflecting on the quiet unraveling of her marriage. Though each piece is decidedly personal, the collection feels universal, encouraging all readers--partnered or not, happily or less so--to reexamine the common narratives around marriage and divorce.
If that all sounds a bit heavy, trust Harrington to supply the biting humor she is known for while avoiding any hint of malice toward her former husband, noting that he approved every page. These choices support Harrington's argument that divorce need not be a tragedy, ultimately answering her own question: "Could we want the best for each other even when that 'best' wasn't each other?"
An amicable divorce is not unusual, so why this book? Perhaps because of the couple's unconventional decision to separate formally while continuing to live and parent together, maintaining the family structure for themselves and their children. Harrington navigates the quirks of this arrangement (separate bedrooms, dating apps, family vacations?) but never gets bogged down in the minutiae of her experience. Instead, she chooses to focus on those questions that weigh on everyone: How did I get here? What do I still have to discover? When is good enough not good enough? Never claiming to know the answers, Harrington invites readers into her story, giving them the chance to empathize or relate, regardless of relationship status. --Sara Beth West, freelance reviewer and librarian-in-training