Cars from a Marriage

An auto-biography of a marriage from the highly acclaimed author who deftly navigates the lives of one suburban couple with humor and insight From a ''74 Mustang to a Chevy Suburban Debra Galant''s Cars from A Marriage charts the important events—big and small—in one couple''s relationship by way of the automobiles that drive them throughout the course of their lives. Ivy is a transplanted Southern belle—the daughter of a car salesman— who continually wonders how she has ended up a New Jersey stay-at-home mom with a not-so-secret fear of driving. Her husband Ellis was a stand up comedian when they met and the owner of that ''74 Mustang but his ambitions were overshadowed by the responsibilities of a family. In the blink of an eye he became a PR executive with a mortgage two kids and a Buick LeSabre. The cars steer us from their first meeting to their first fight and down the line to a family funeral. Finally it''s on a drive along the Pacific Coast Highway that Ivy and Ellis come to some serious and illuminating realizations about their lives. With insights that alternate between hilarious and profound Galant provides a unique unforgettable portrait of a marriage.