Mating for Life

by Marissa Stapley

  “Please,” Ilsa said. “Keep talking. I can’t.” When Lincoln was at the canvas beside them, Ilsa found she was having trouble breathing. She stared into her sister’s eyes and focused on the sound of her voice. Fiona put her hand on her sister’s forearm and held it there.

  Then he moved around them and on to the next canvas. Only a few more and he was near the door. Fiona stopped talking. They were both watching him now. He was standing still. Ilsa thought he might take a glass of champagne and stay, and that eventually she would have to go over and greet him, thank him for coming. There was a part of her that wanted to know what he thought of her work. There was a part of her that was elated that he had come, even after everything. It meant something. It meant that it hadn’t all been for nothing.

  He didn’t stay, though. He cast one more glance around the room. His dismissive gaze did not reach Ilsa or Fiona. It missed them just barely. Ilsa realized that she had been wrong, that his coming had not meant anything to him.

  He left.

  “I guess he didn’t like what he saw,” Ilsa said.

  “He didn’t understand what he saw,” Fiona said. “It was above him. Leagues and leagues and leagues above him. Outside of the realm of anything a man like him could possibly understand.”

  “What are we talking about?” said Helen, leaning in.

  “The past,” said Ilsa.

  Epilogue

  Days into her time at the cottage, when Helen finally worked up the courage, he was in his garden, just as he had been the first time she walked alone up this same road.

  But something was different. No apron, for one thing, and new bushel baskets that looked less worn than his old ones. Helen stood and watched him. Eventually he looked up, and she half expected him to say what he had said that first time, for her to realize she had fallen down some sort of rabbit hole and was being given the chance to do it all over again. But that doesn’t happen in real life, no matter how hard you wish for it. You don’t get second chances.

  Instead, he looked up, and she couldn’t read the expression on his face because he wasn’t quite as familiar to her anymore. This made her sad.

  “Hi,” he said eventually.

  “Hi,” she said. She took a step closer, then a few more steps. Finally, she was close enough. “I’m a stubborn old woman,” she said, and wished she had chosen to say anything but that as her opening line.

  “That might have been one of the things I loved about you, the stubbornness,” he said. “Old, though? Never. Not you. But listen, I think we’d better go inside now.”

  “Might have been? Loved?”

  “Come here,” he said. There was something in his voice that startled her. When she was beside him she turned and saw that across the road, standing in the trees, there was a coyote, thin and ragged, watching them.

  “Oh, and here I thought you were inviting me in because you wanted to, not because we were in mortal danger.”

  “He’s been coming around a lot lately,” Iain said. “I should probably call someone in, but I don’t have the stomach for it. He seems harmless, but still . . . a little too tame. Maybe he’s just lonely.”

  “How do you know he’s a he?”

  “Something about him. Maybe I’m wrong. Did you know coyotes mate for life?”

  Helen leaned against him and said, “I’ve always thought they were stupid animals.” She didn’t think he was going to laugh, but he did.

  “They’re smarter than you think,” he said. “Now, please, come inside, Helen. I do want you to. Very much. I have so many things I want to say to you. I’ve even been making little notes. I have a notebook. Things to Tell Helen.”

  “Okay, but you’re going to think this is weird.”

  “I bet I won’t. I don’t think you can surprise me at this point.”

  She spun around and walked backward toward his cottage. “Help me,” she said. “Make sure I don’t trip over anything and break a hip.”

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I’m rewinding,” she said.

  He smiled, turned around, took her hand, and started walking backward, too. “What if we both fall?”

  “Then we both fall,” she said. “But I think I know the way.”

  Acknowledgments

  The following websites were useful when gathering information about the mating habits of the animals for use in the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter: Wikipedia, eol.org (Encyclopedia of Life), hww.ca (Hinterland Who’s Who), bear.org (North American Bear Center), defenders.org (Defenders of Wildlife), barnowltrust.org (The Barn Owl Trust), allaboutbirds.org (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology), northland.edu (Northland College). I also relied on research about swan “divorces” performed at the Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire, England.

  Years ago, I was told that to find a home for a book a writer needed to find people who loved it, truly. I have been blessed with an entire team of people who love my book—and the perfect home for it. I am so grateful.

  Thank you especially to Samantha Haywood, my passionate and instinctive agent (every nice thing my dad says about you is true); her assistant, Stephanie Sinclair, for a great first read; Sarah Cantin, my extraordinary editor at Atria Books, who has also proven herself to be a mama bear, cheerleader, and dear friend (and who sends the absolute best emails and notes on the planet); and Alison Clarke at Simon & Schuster Canada, for welcoming me warmly and offering wise insights. (Also, for oysters and cocktails.)

  And special thanks to Judith Curr of Atria Books and Kevin Hanson at Simon & Schuster Canada, for captaining the ship and for making this publishing house a home.

  Thank you to marketing mavens Felicia Quon (I’m still working on the accent) and Anneliese Grosfeld; my wonderful publicist, Amy Jacobson; the rest of the team at S&S Canada (with a particularly warm thank-you to Sarah Smith Eivemark for being my first actual fan); plus marketing pro Hillary Tisman and publicity guru Valerie Vennix at Atria Books.

  Thank you to Kathleen Rizzo, Kimberly Goldstein, and Kristen Lemire for all of your hard work on the details and for shepherding my book along the path toward becoming “real”; and to Janet Perr for the beautiful cover.

  I am also grateful for and to my friends. In particular, thank you to Chantel Guertin for early reads, literary dream sharing, and jokes only the two of us get; Nance Williams for reading everything I send you and for being a constant supporter; Asha Frost (you know why); Priya Karani Davies for keeping the faith (and for the pink champagne); Susan Robertson, Delphine Buglio, and Natalie Bordeau-Legris for the assistance with the French; Joni Serio for teaching me how to fish when it came to my website; and Leigh Fenwick, Michelle Schlag, and Amanda Watson—for being like sisters and for being great friends.

  Many fellow writers have helped me out, including Moriah Cleveland, who read, believed, and gave me a much-needed mantra at exactly the right moment (“All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”; I suppose I should thank T. S. Eliot for that one, too); Jennifer Close, who offered so many kindnesses; Lauren Groff, who allowed her words to grace the pages of my book; and Grace O’Connell, who compared me to Wolitzer and Atwood, thus making my year, and possibly my life.

  Finally, thank you to my family: Bruce Stapley, hands down the best dad ever, for being so proud of me, for passing down the writing gene, for all the cottages weeks and weekends over the course of a lifetime, and for being swell in general; my mom, Valerie Clubine, for standing beside me, behind me, in front of me, and all around me (it doesn’t seem like enough, but I think you know how I feel); my stepfather, James Clubine, for the love, the prayers, and for always being in my corner; my brothers, Shane, Drew, and Griffin Stapley, for being untypical brothers (I love you all so much and am proud of each of you); my parents-in-law, Joyce and Joe, for the babysitting (there were times when I wouldn’t have been able to write without you!) and for raisin
g that Joe guy, of course; and the entire Ponikowski family, for making me feel like one of them, always; plus a special shout-out to my Stapley aunts and uncles: a zanier, prouder, more supportive bunch could not be found anywhere. Thank you also to my always encouraging grandparents: Ron Soper and, in loving memory, Jean Soper (who gave me the strength of character to see a book through to completion and whom I miss every day) and Margaret and Ray Stapley, both of whom were writers and would have loved to hold this book in their hands.

  Thank you to my children, Joseph and Maia, for providing astonishing joy, giving me a reason to write, and offering unconditional love. You are my favorites. You are excellent little people.

  And last but not least (most, definitely most), thank you to my husband, Joe, for patiently enduring the realities of being married to a writer, for holding my hand, for the bridge visits this past winter, and for loving me. I love you, too, until the end of the world.

  Questions and Topics for Discussion

  1.Consider the epigraphs of the novel. How do they work together? If you had to pick a character to match each with, who would you pick and why?

  2.Discuss the chapter openers. How did they inform your experience of each chapter? Did the description of the animal mating patterns make you think differently about monogamy?

  3.How are Fiona, Ilsa, and Liane each shaped by their fathers? In contrast, how do you see the influence of Helen illustrated in each of their personalities?

  4.Is there a character you identify most with? Which characteristics do you most strongly identify with? Are these things you like about yourself or don’t like about yourself?

  5.Turn to this page and reread the scene in the faculty lounge, in which Grace and Tansy discuss marriage. Did any of the points raised here particularly resonate with you? Why do you think people get married? Stay married? Remarry, even if they had a disastrous first marriage?

  6.How integral is motherhood to Helen’s overall identity, and does this change over the course of the novel? What is your perception of her as a maternal figure?

  7.Aside from the sisters and Helen, who was your favorite narrator, and why?

  8.Consider the examples of female friendship that we see in action in the novel, particularly the dynamic between Helen and Edie. How are the relationships between friends different from those between ­sisters—both in the novel and in your own experience?

  9.What do you think the novel is saying about the ways that resentment and jealousy act on couples? What about between family members? Are the effects of each emotion different, depending on whether the relationship is romantic or platonic?

  10.Beyond Helen, think of the other portrayals of mothering within the novel. In what way does seeing a character in a maternal role give us new insight into them?

  11.Helen tells Ilsa, “I think love is a good thing, in any form. Even when it hurts. The pain often leaves behind a beautiful memory.” Do you agree with this? Are there other statements about love within the novel that particularly resonated with you?

  12.Discuss Liane and Laurence’s decision not to get married and their reasons for it. Is it possible that their vision of what a monogamous, committed relationship without marriage looks like is as idealistic as the institution of marriage itself? To push that idea further: In an era where divorce rates are higher than ever, what does marriage truly mean anymore?

  13.Consider the evolution of the sisters’ relationships with each other, as well as with their mother. Discuss the two scenes in which we see them all together—during the “spa” weekend at Crystal Springs and at Ilsa’s art opening. Consider the significance of these two events, and compare and contrast the dynamics between the four of them in each setting. Can you chart any changes in them—as individuals, perhaps, but also as sisters, daughters, and mothers?

  14.Discuss the types of secrets kept in the novel and the role that these secrets play in the lives of these characters. Throughout the novel, who is keeping knowledge from whom? Do good intentions justify keeping something hidden? If the truth will hurt someone, but discovering that a secret was kept will also hurt them, how can you determine which is the better alternative?

  Enhance Your Reading Group

  1.Pretend you are casting the film version of Mating for Life. Who would play each sister? What about Helen and Iain? Myra and Johnny? Lincoln and Laurence?

  2.While there are many men depicted in the novel, the narrators are all women. Which of the male characters would you have wanted to hear from? Imagine the twists and turns a chapter from this particular point of view might take. Are there questions that you still have about the novel that this character might answer?

  3.Typically, we are more likely to rebel against a stricter, more traditional upbringing—but in some ways, it seems Fiona, Ilsa, and Liane rebel against their less conventional upbringing. In order to move fully into adulthood, it is natural (and instinctual) for people to break away from their parents and seek to build their own lives, but it can be a painful experience. Have you lived through this yourself, or with your own children? Do you think there is a way to be an individual while still honoring and respecting the traditions and ideals of your parents? In cases where an upbringing may have been more painful than positive, do you think there is a way to leave behind old and potentially harmful patterns rather than allowing history to repeat itself?

  4.In Mating for Life, Helen’s lake house serves as a tangible link for these characters, pulling them together across time and space. Is there a place in your life—either currently, or perhaps from your childhood—that holds that same power for you? Is it possible to differentiate how much of the pull of this place comes from the physical elements of it versus the feelings and relationships that you associate with it?

  5.In particular, Fiona works hard to present a perfect image of herself and her family to the world—when in reality, things are not perfect. Do you agree that especially in a world where the strong presence of social media allows us to curate our life moments and present the selves we want to be rather than the selves we are to friends, family, and acquaintances, that we may be losing touch with who we really are—or putting ourselves under incredible pressure to live up to these false realities? How can we work to stop this cycle, with ourselves and the people we know?

  About the Author

  Marissa Stapley is a writer and former magazine editor who contributes to Elle, The Globe and Mail, and The National Post, among others. She also teaches writing at the University of Toronto and editing at Centennial College. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two young children.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 by Marissa Stapley

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Washington Square Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the
Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition July 2014

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  Interior design by Kyoko Watanabe

  Cover design by Janet Perr

  Cover photograph by Lawrence Sawyer/Vetta/Getty Images

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Stapley, Marissa.

  Mating for life : a novel / Marissa Stapley.—First Washington Square Press Trade Paperback Edition.

  pages cm

  1. Family life—Fiction. 2. Domestic fiction. I. Title.

  PS3619.T3614M38 2014

  813'.6—dc23 2014011406

  ISBN 978-1-4767-6202-9

  ISBN 978-1-4767-6204-3 (ebook)