Title: Slow Burner
Author(s) Name(s): Laura Lippman
Published in: July, 2020
Why You Might Like This Book: Read this book if you enjoy
- short fiction,
- crime fiction, and
- domestic thriller.
Who Should Avoid This Book: Avoid this book if you are triggered by or dislike
- infidelity,
- betrayal,
- violence,
- divorce, or
- unrequited love.
Liz Kelsey is a high-school English teacher and Phil Kelsey is a venture capitalist. The two have been married for nearly twenty-five years now. Their marriage went through some dark times, where Phil was in an emotional affair with another woman, a young, married woman “HW”. But now, these days, after eighteen months, things are better, Liz believes – until she finds a burner phone that Phil has been using regularly to text HW. She had promised her husband that she wouldn’t snoop around and check his phone, but now that she knows what she knows, what next?
Lippman reminds us in a smart and witty way that a man can be not-racist, not-misogynist, even openly claiming to be against misogyny, while still being bad partners and cheating husbands, just like how a man who does not cheat on his wife can be labelled “a good man” while still being misogynistic or racist or transphobic.
Liz struggles to deal with things Phil says and does. He tells HW that his wife longs for drama, while he himself longs for attention from the opposite sex, from someone new. He is good at gaslighting, too, as he defended himself in the past for kissing that other woman, a young woman, a woman he tried to attract using his professional success and official power, and then blamed Liz for checking his phone. Phil enjoys the rush, the excitement he feels each time he meets someone new. And Liz can never give him that because in twenty-years of marriage, you know your spouse in and out, so there is nothing new they could share with you or use you to inflate their ego.
“She’s not the only one in need of drama in her life. Phil goes to TED Talks, but he will never be asked to give one.”
The author also asks powerful questions about Greek mythology, about how despicable those gods were, how evil they were, how Zeus forced himself on women who never consented, how Hades is a kidnapper, how it is fair for Medusa to be punished for being raped, and so on. Given how direct, straight forward, and indisputable these points are, many men guilty of such values might experience a strong aversion for such writing. Lippman does care enough to be polite or appealing to anyone, as she openly challenges social norms. This is why young children, daughters and sons must be given such thought-provoking books to read.
If domestic thrillers and the themes of marriage, betrayal, and affairs interest you, there is another book you might enjoy – The cheating Husband by James Caine.
The more she reads her husband’s messages to her, the more Liz understands that he is trying hard to impress HW, which he seems to be enjoying, where he talks about things she might like, stating his opinions, preferences, and views with an air of confidence, many based on memories from his past with Liz, leaving her out of the picture, and giving himself the credit for things Liz had noticed and done. he is doing with HW what he did with Liz when they first met, oversharing and trying to impress and forcing his love interest to do things he would choose to do for themselves, in the name of giving a surprise or going on an adventure.
After going for therapy, admitting that she had made mistakes, correcting herself, and all that, she was under the impression that Phil and she were back in a healthy marriage again, but he began doing the same things he did the last time he started falling in love with HW: changing his diet, being active, and now, he is trying to rebuild that emotional affair with that young woman again. Even when HW barely shows any interest in him. It was evident to Liz that HW was merely tolerating Phil because he had the power to give or take work opportunities and contracts, and HW was just giving in to the pressure. What should a wife being cheated on do when she finds her life partner, the man she loves pining for another woman’s attention? Phil also takes it to another level, where he says things Liz was not prepared to know: that he wants to end his marriage with Liz.
Interesting Quote: “Love isn’t logical. Only in rom-coms, the two people seem mismatched, then find their antipathy is really just their way of fighting their mad attraction to one another. Whereas in real life, the mad attraction feels logical and then these rifts are exposed, yet you go on loving the other person anyway.”
“the lies people tell while rationalizing that they are sparing someone else’s feelings but are really mainly sparing themselves the inconvenience of the truth”.
It is not as if the ending is not predictable, the plot twists are something you could guess, but still, Slow Burner is an even-paced short story with several references to the Greek Gods, comments on how men normalize their mistakes and justify themselves, how the #MeToo movement wasn’t just lies and should not be forgotten or ignored or undermind, and how love in general is foolish, all written in ways that are partly stoic, partly deep, and partly amusing. In this short story, which you can finish in less than an hour, Lippman highlights awareness of gender roles and normalizing patriarchy, while also giving us an entertaining and thought-provoking read.
