Published 2000/Length 336 pages
Breaking up is never easy, especially in the case of sixty-two-year-old Guy Stockdale, who leaves his wife of forty years, Laura, for a newer, younger model three decades his junior, with whom he’s been having a secret affair for the past seven years. Matters are further complicated by the impact his decision has on his two grown-up sons, Simon and Alan – especially when Laura puts increasing pressure on the family to take sides. In the meantime, Merrion, Guy’s mistress, has to face the problems of coming to terms with the Stockdales, with the growing realization that she can’t just have Guy without his family. Marrying the Mistress examines the fallout from Guy’s decision, the complexities of family relationships, and how misunderstandings and lack of communication can be passed on through the generations. It looks at what is expected of families in a crisis … although what is expected is not necessarily what happens.
‘For a woman with two marriages behind her, Joanna Trollope is unexpectedly indulgent to men. Indeed, the main unreality of this novel is her attribution of complicated emotions to her male characters. Men who take off with girls half their age could quite often give you a robustly simple explanation of their actions – one that never features here.’ – Sunday Herald
• Lack of communication and misconceptions play a large part in this book. How do they affect each of the main characters and their relationships with each other?
• What impact do those outside the Stockdale family have on what happens? Consider Mrs Palmer, Wendy and Colin in particular.
• The three mothers all have very different relationships with their children. How do you think these steer the events in the book?
• Do your sympathies change during the course of the novel? If so, why?
• Trollope’s books have been dubbed ‘Aga sagas’. Her response to this has been: ‘The name itself indicates a provincial cosiness, and is patronizing of the readers. A lot of what I write into the books is bleak and challenging, but I will be the Queen of the Aga saga to my dying day. It’s jolly annoying, but it is better than being the Queen of Hearts.’ (The Guardian, 2003)
• Trollope has been married twice, and has two daughters, two stepsons, and grandchildren. She now lives on her own in London.
• The Victorian novelist, Anthony Trollope, is a distant ancestor.
• Trollope also writes historical novels under the pseudonym Caroline Harvey, which is a combination of her grandparents’ first names.
• Howards End by E. M. FORSTER – examines how an unexpected marriage affects a family.
• On Beauty by ZADIE SMITH (see here) – a modern-day reworking of Howards End, exploring similar relationships in a contemporary setting.
• The Pursuit of Love by NANCY MITFORD – describes the complexities of family dynamics.