Sarah Morgan, a powerhouse defense attorney, finds her demanding career clashing with her husband Adam's longing for connection as the novel begins. Their tenth anniversary plans are derailed by Sarah's work, highlighting the growing tension in their marriage. Despite outward displays of affection, the cracks in their relationship hint at the theme of The Façade of a Perfect Marriage.
Chapter 1: Sarah Morgan
Sarah attempts to smooth things over with an extravagant anniversary gift: a Patek Philippe watch engraved with the minutes of their marriage. Adam's reaction is a mix of appreciation and resentment, foreshadowing further conflict. The tension escalates when Adam discovers a discarded anniversary card from his mother, filled with questions about grandchildren, revealing Sarah's strained relationship with her mother-in-law and her reluctance to start a family. Despite the underlying discord, they exchange declarations of love before parting ways, with Adam heading to their lake house alone and Sarah to her office.
Chapter 2: Adam Morgan
At the secluded lake house, Adam reflects on his stalled writing career, contrasting it sharply with Sarah's soaring success. He feels like an "extra" in her "one-woman show," his resentment palpable. Memories of their passionate beginnings in college are tinged with the bitterness of their current reality. The chapter takes a dramatic turn with the arrival of Kelly Summers, Adam's mistress. Their immediate, intense physical connection stands in stark contrast to the strained affection between Adam and Sarah, introducing the themes of Love and Infidelity and Betrayal and Deception. Adam rationalizes his affair by claiming he needs both women to feel complete. A text from Sarah praising his writing triggers a wave of guilt, but it doesn't deter him from continuing his affair.
Chapter 3: Sarah Morgan
Back in D.C., Sarah is working late at her firm, underscoring her dedication and the isolation it creates. Her loyal assistant, Anne, is also working late, burdened by extra duties assigned by the disliked partner, Bob Miller. Sarah displays a protective, almost sisterly bond with Anne, promising to address Bob's behavior and emphasizing their friendship. Their conversation highlights the challenges women face in a competitive, male-dominated legal environment. After a brief text exchange with Adam, Sarah impulsively invites Anne out for drinks, choosing camaraderie over another lonely night.
Chapter 4: Adam Morgan
Adam awakens at the lake house after midnight, with Kelly asleep beside him. Kelly's phone buzzes incessantly with texts from her husband, Scott Summers. Adam reads the messages and uncovers a disturbing pattern of emotional abuse and escalating threats. Scott's texts range from pleading to vitriolic, culminating in an ominous final message: "Too late. You’re a fucking memory now." Shaken, Adam leaves Kelly a romantic but cryptic note and drives back to D.C., feeling protective but unwilling to get directly involved. Arriving home around 1:45 AM, Adam finds Sarah awake and dressed seductively. In a shocking turn, she announces she wants to have a baby. Overjoyed, Adam sees this as a chance to salvage their marriage. They have passionate sex, and Adam resolves to end his affair.
Chapter 5: Sarah Morgan
The next morning, Sarah reflects on her decision to have a baby, thinking Adam "deserves this," a phrasing that suggests calculated motives. At the office, she confronts Bob Miller, wielding her power as a named partner to protect Anne, reinforcing her uncompromising professional persona and hinting at the theme of Power, Control, and Manipulation. A large bouquet of roses arrives from Adam with a card that reads, "Sarah, it’s always been you." Her day is further complicated by the arrival of Matthew, a witty lobbyist and close friend since law school. When Anne mentions Sarah and Adam are trying for a baby, Matthew scoffs, calling babies "knick-knacks" and suggesting a child will give Adam's "flatlined" career a sense of meaning. Sarah confesses her fears about motherhood to Anne and Matthew, revealing insecurities beneath her confident exterior.
Key Events
- Sarah cancels her anniversary trip to focus on a case.
- Adam has an affair with Kelly at the lake house.
- Adam discovers Scott's abusive texts to Kelly.
- Sarah decides she wants a baby.
- Sarah tells Adam her decision, and he resolves to end the affair.
- Sarah confronts Bob Miller and reunites with Matthew.
Character Development
- Sarah Morgan: She begins as a workaholic attorney, but her sudden decision to have a baby reveals a manipulative side and hidden insecurities.
- Adam Morgan: He is portrayed as a resentful writer seeking validation through infidelity, but Sarah's proposal reignites his hope for a traditional family.
- Kelly Summers: Initially the "other woman," the revelation of her abusive marriage adds vulnerability and danger to her character.
- Anne: She is established as Sarah's loyal assistant and friend, offering a moral compass and genuine support.
Themes & Symbols
These chapters establish key themes that drive the narrative.
The Façade of a Perfect Marriage The outward appearance of success and happiness masks deep-seated issues of resentment, neglect, and infidelity.
Betrayal and Deception Adam's affair and Sarah's potentially calculated motives create a web of lies and hidden agendas.
Power, Control, and Manipulation Sarah's professional and financial power imbalances the marriage, while her decision to have a baby can be seen as an attempt to regain control.
Symbols
- The Lake House: Symbolizes freedom and escape for Adam, a place to pursue his passions away from Sarah's influence.
- The Patek Philippe Watch: Represents Sarah's attempt to compensate for a lack of emotional connection with material wealth.
Key Quotes
"5,256,000. The number of minutes in ten years. Ironic, considering how little of them we’d actually spent together."
This quote highlights the central conflict of the novel: the lack of quality time in Sarah and Adam's marriage. The expensive watch, meant to symbolize their commitment, instead underscores the emotional distance between them.
"Too late. You’re a fucking memory now."
This ominous text from Scott to Kelly foreshadows potential violence and danger. It introduces an element of external threat that complicates Adam's affair and suggests the consequences of his actions may be severe.
Significance
These opening chapters are crucial for establishing the novel's central conflicts and secrets. The dual-perspective narrative creates dramatic irony, immersing the reader in the characters' deceptions. The introduction of the affair, the abusive husband, and the sudden baby proposal lays the groundwork for the explosive events to come, turning a story of a troubled marriage into a high-stakes psychological thriller.
Analysis
Jeneva Rose uses alternating perspectives to build suspense and question the reliability of each narrator. The reader is privy to both Adam's infidelity and Sarah's cold, calculated thoughts, making it difficult to side with either character. The introduction of Kelly's abusive husband serves as foreshadowing, while Sarah's friend Matthew acts as a cynical chorus, voicing suspicions about her motives.