Anna is working on what promises to be her breakthrough bestseller about marriage and what makes it work. Who doesnt want to peer through the keyhole of other peoples relationships from the couple whove been together for years but arent really talking, to the newly divorced pair who arent quite separated? Some of Annas friends have been eager to act as case studies: Ruth and Dave, the contented, unconventional, boho couple; resting actor Tony and his beautiful and controlled ex-wife Jean; Valerie and Archie, smug marrieds with two children. And then theres Anna herself, living a tranquil life with new man Richard in their pale minimalist flat. It should all be plain sailing, but Annas carefully noted observations dont seem to tell the whole storyif these are the models for marriage twenty first century style, why is it that, in each case, something is missing? As affairs, break ups and brief encounters ensue, Anna reflects that a project that should have been straightforward has turned out to be thecatalyst for a monumental group mid-life crisis. And thats before she is invited to a wedding in the country and becomes involved in the lives of a very different couple. Deliciously warm and disturbingly true-to-life, Other Peoples Marriages is a terrific new novel from Shane Watson, a writer with a unique perspective on the way we live now.