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Dear Reader,
Born in Wisconsin, today's guest author, Lindsay Starck says she was raised in the Milwaukee Public Library. (It takes a village of readers to raise an author.) Lindsay went on to earn her B.A. in literature from Yale and her M.F.A. from Notre Dame. Noah's Wife is her first novel.
Lindsay currently writes and teaches in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband and their dog. There are copies of Noah's Wife waiting to be given away to readers. Email your name and preferred shipping address to: putnambooks@us.penguingroup.com Please put "Lindsay Starck Giveaway" on the subject line.
Take it away Lindsay Starck...
When I first met my husband, he was sleeping with somebody else. I know because I found strands of golden hair on his pillow. (I'm a brunette.)
When I confronted him, he was forced to concede that I did indeed have a rival for his affections. He described the cold New England winters, insisting that he needed to stay warm at night. I liked him a lot, so I gave up on my case. It was only after we became engaged and moved into an apartment together that I finally laid down the law: the dog is not allowed in the bed.
In the heated discussion that followed, I tried to articulate why this issue mattered to me. It was not only the sand that Fenway carried in from the dog park and left between the sheets; it was not only the hair or the soft whap of a tail in my face. Although it feels silly to admit this, the real problem was that I was jealous.
Christopher and Fenway shared a bond that excluded me. I grew impatient with Christopher when he paid more attention to Fenway than to me, and I grew frustrated with Fenway when Christopher left town for the weekend and the dog spent days moping by the front door.
"What about me?" I said, wanting Fenway to love me the way he loved my husband. "I'm still here."
I had to work to earn Fenway's love. I spent hours training him, teaching him to roll over, to heel, to play dead. He learned that I like to snack while walking, so he began to follow me, nosing for crumbs. I found myself talking to him when my husband wasn't home; and soon thereafter, talking to him even when my husband was sitting right beside me. Fenway is a good listener. His face is serious, his eyes brown and sympathetic.
Five years have passed. It took time for Fenway to warm up to me, but I like that about him. I like how choosy he is about whom to love and whom to follow. Together we have walked miles and miles in every kind of weather. We have driven halfway across the country and back again, just the two of us. Now, whenever my husband is away, Fenway stays right by my side.
Do I let him in the bed, when Christopher is out of town?
Well...I'd rather not say.
--Lindsay Starck
Let Lindsay know you enjoyed her column. You can contact her directly at http://www.lindsaystarck.com/contact/ or visit her on Instagram: @lindsay.starck
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE TURNIP PRINCESS AND OTHER NEWLY DISCOVERED FAIRY TALES by Franz Xaver von Schonwerth. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin tote bag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqT1AFE3FA7E22&c=CLASSICS
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