George and Lizzie have very different ideas of what love and marriage should be. George grew up in a warm, supportive family environment and Lizzie grew up as the only child of two famous psychologists (who seemed to view Lizzie more as an in-house subject to study, instead of a child to love). Over the course of their marriage, George is happy but Lizzie clearly remains unfulfilled, making George determined to find a way to make her happy (or at least lift some of her sadness). What George doesn't know is that Lizzie has a secret in her past that keeps threatening to come to the surface.
I found this an interesting book. Lizzie isn't really likeable most of the time, but she's an interesting and compelling character. I can see why George takes so much time to try to understand her, although I marveled at his patience. We get the backstory of both of them, so you begin the book in the past, come into the present, and then reflections into the past. It's a good way to tell their story and also give insight into why Lizzie is the way she is. It's easy to feel sympathy towards her every time the subject of her parents comes up (although I still had a hard time liking her). One of the main elements of her story is the fact that she fell in love with a boy when she was in college, knew him for about 3 months, and then he left, never to contact her again. She continues to wonder about him, even after she is married to George, which I found difficult to understand (and difficult to empathize with). More than 3/4 of the way through the story, George makes a list of why he loves Lizzie, which is helpful; it not only explains why he is so patient with her, but also allows the reader to see her as he does, which I thought was a neat trick.
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