In “The Marriage Sabbatical,” this not-a-romance novel, Lian Dolan introduces Jason and Nicole Elswick, who have been married for almost a quarter of a century. Jason is in publishing, and as he approaches his twenty-five year anniversary with his company, he gets a year sabbatical. Since the death of his best friend, he is determined to fulfill their dream of traveling through Patagonia on motorcycles. He has the whole year planned, with a few months in a small village on the Pacific learning to surf and writing a book at the end of the trip, and before he and Nicole meet their children, two college students who are traveling abroad for the school year.
What he doesn’t know is that Nicole does not want to make the trip with him. Her idea of a vacation isn’t riding a motorcycle in mountains and rough terrain, getting dirty, camping out at times. Her dream sabbatical would involve a cozy mountain home with a fireplace or a modern lake cabin. Not a trip through the Andes and then learning to surf in Nicaragua in a rented hut in a tiny town. But Jason has been planning the trip for so long, and she had put off leveling with him for almost as long, but now with the trip happening, Nicole has no choice.
The rhythm of the narrative is that we see the story unfolding in the present, with the month and place of each chapter clearly noted up front. And there are other chapters that are similarly labeled with the setting and also the month and year, which provide the background of how Nicole and Jason met. Through these chapters set in the past, we see how their relationship developed over the past quarter-century.
What gives Nicole the impetus to finally come clean with Jason and tell him she doesn’t want to go on the trip is a dinner they attend at a neighbor’s house. These are not friends, but rather a couple who live across the street. Over a poorly-made paella, the couple explains to Nicole and Jason their 500-mile rule. When they are traveling for business, and are farther than 500 miles apart, they are free to have sex with anyone they choose.
After this uncomfortable dinner, Nicole finally tells Jason that instead of going on his trip to Patagonia, she wants to go to Santa Fe for a year to study silversmithing. And that’s what happens. Jason goes to Patagonia and Nicole goes to Santa Fe and we see how the year affects each of them personally and how it affects their marriage.
While there are chapters from Jason’s point of view sharing his activities in Patagonia, most of the chapters are about Nicole and her time in Santa Fe. We follow her as she studies silversmithing, finds a place to live, and by making friends, becomes a part of the Santa Fe community. And through Dolan’s detailed narrative about life in that mountainous town, we all want to follow in Nicole’s footsteps and live in a charming casita in Santa Fe. It sounds idyllic and beautiful.
But what is of most interest is the growth that Nicole experiences and how, through her time in Santa Fe, she learns more about herself—what she’s good at and what she’s not—and she has time to reflect on her marriage and her life. Nicole is a likable character and she’s the first to admit that there are things she can’t do, but she also comes to realize that there’s a lot she can do. The glimpses into the past regarding the development of Nicole and Jason’s relationship were well done, but there were times when the chapter ended and it felt like we didn’t really get to see how the whole event played out. I was hoping that the next chapter in the past would pick up where the previous one had left off, but that wasn’t the case.
Aside from that minor disappointment, this is an enjoyable, light read that delves into the question of what holds a marriage together. Part of it, if we believe Nicole and Jason, is a solid base of many years of working together to maintain a family. But there are also other important aspects in any marriage such as mutual respect, an affectionate relationship, and love. When those are present in a relationship, even a year apart won’t break those bonds.
This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.