Why Did I Marry You, Anyway?: Good Sense and Good Humor in the First Year- And After

Matthews believes she was forearmed as a psychology student to hold firm against the stresses that test a couple's union, paticularly during the first year. As her book demonstrates, the author and her husband also possess the gift of humor, a rock on which lasting relationships are built. Amusing and a tad ironic, Matthews offers sound advice on keeping love alive when it's no longer blinded by romantic trappings. Her own ""soul searching'' and the experiences of acquaintances of both sexes form the text, which is also fortified by quotes from other writers on the subject. Illustrating one newlywed couple's disillusionment, Dave complains that his wife Megan wanted him``a klutz''to be as skilled at household fix-ups as her father and brothers. ``They rewired the house for fun every week.'' Megan moans that Dave expected a ``three-course meal every night; the best I can do is heat a frozen pizza.'' The book spotlights a variety of other troubles, with wise suggestions for handling them: unsatisfactory sex, jealousy, intrusive in-laws, resentful stepchildren et al. Spouses are invited to test themselves with the quiz appended. ``If your score is perfect, subtract points for fudging; no one's perfect.'' Psychology Today Book Club and Psychotherapy and Social Science Book Club selections. (May)