Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
I'm not quite ready to condemn Irene for making Brian miserable, although that is obviously what Larsen intends. I said upthread that it's Irene's life, too, and she doesn't want to emigrate to Brazil and I think that's reasonable. She may also honestly believe that staying in New York is better for their sons and that seems reasonable, also.
Without knowing more of the backstory of Brian's and Irene's relationship, when and why and how positions hardened, it's impossible to know who's responsible and to what extent for their issues. It seems as if the game must have changed materially since they married. And yes, Brian is staying put, but there seems to be a sizable dollop of passive aggression there. Has there been any attempt on either part to find some common ground? And what is the root cause of the sexless marriage? Did one or the other instigate it or is it something they fell into with their increasing resentment toward the other?
I'm not saying Irene is the least bit selfless as she clearly isn't, but it seems as if Brian wants what he wants, too. Perhaps Irene wouldn't be so fearful and prone to strike out if she didn't feel so insecure.
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Maybe they just grew apart as time went by: she was a bit of a "trophy" because of her pale skin (those articles were very interesting) but they never grew as a couple. She knows she really has very little hold on Brian, because all they seem to have in common is the two boys, who will grow up and go their own ways. They are mostly polite to each other, but they aren't really friends it seems. And he would know all about her manipulation and control, and would understandably resent it. Not a good basis for a relationship you would think.
It makes you wonder whether Brian stuck around after the end of the book, or if the events shocked him into leaving Irene and doing what he had wanted to do for so long. In which case, whether Irene had brought about Clare's death or not, it would all have been for nothing.