
The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity
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– Unabridged
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Iconic couples' therapist and best-selling author Esther Perel returns with a provocative look at relationships through the lens of infidelity, providing the insight we so desperately need to help us move beyond a simplistic discussion.
An affair: it can rob a couple of their relationship, their happiness, their very identity. Adultery has existed since marriage was invented, and so, too, have the prohibitions against it - in fact adultery has a tenacity that marriage can only envy. And yet this extremely common human experience is so poorly understood. What are we to make of this time-honoured taboo - universally forbidden yet universally practiced? Why do people cheat? When we say 'infidelity', what exactly do we mean? Is there such a thing as an affair-proof marriage? Is it possible to love more than one person at once? Can an affair ever help a marriage?
Psychotherapist Esther Perel is recognised as one of the most insightful and original voices on modern love. For the past 10 years, she has worked with hundreds of couples who have grappled with infidelity. Betrayal hurts, she argues, but healing is possible. An affair can even be the doorway to a new marriage - with the same person. With the right approach, couples can learn from these tumultuous experiences, together or apart. Weaving real-life stories with incisive psychological and cultural analysis, Perel invites listeners into a truly revealing exploration of modern marriage.
- Listening Length11 hours and 17 minutes
- Audible release date12 October 2017
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB075Y2S5CP
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 11 hours and 17 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Esther Perel |
Narrator | Esther Perel |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com.au Release Date | 12 October 2017 |
Publisher | Yellow Kite |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B075Y2S5CP |
Best Sellers Rank | 813 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 6 in Marriage & Long-Term Partnerships 31 in Marriage (Books) 130 in Personal Success |
Customer reviews
Top reviews from Australia
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I love Esther's approach by establishing solid communication and making sure you have the same definitions. Her approach is sincere and passionate. She doesn't beat around the bush. She is honest and speaks truthfully no matter how painful it may be to hear.
I haven't heard of anyone else who is so open and free of judgement. What a profound woman!
As you delve into this book you will see that relationshios are not black and white, right or wrong. This is a book for those who want to delve into the complexity of the human condition.
Top reviews from other countries

At the beginning of the book Esther Peel looks at the conventional wisdom on partnerships and marriages and fidelity in them. She points out that in Western society there are strong views that partners in these are expected to stay loyal to each other, with out straying elsewhere for intimacy and sex. She does not appear to have problems with this per se, but points out there are many divergences form this path. It is human nature to transgress boundaries, even if this is painful.
What follows are a large number of accounts of cases she has encountered. This includes infidelity in conventional marriages, both homo- and hetro- sexual partnerships, open relationships (where issues of infidelity can crop up despite there being a permission to find additional partnerships) as well as ones that insist on monogamy. She looks also at issues of betrayal, the pain of discovery of an affair, how some affairs may save people from bad partnerships and also how that affairs may sometimes (paradoxically?) even save and strengthen relationships. Perel also looks at the various kind of people involved, apparently settled people, those who prefer to have affairs rather than stay in a single one.
All in all the range of people discussed here is wide. Perel's aim is not to discredit monogamy, but to suggest what is needed is a little more space for people in their situations to work through. At one point in the narrative she ponders on the general state of knowledge around human sexuality. As she states it is limited. This book contributes to expanding that space a little more. An enlightening read.

I wonder how many couples would have stayed together had they understood what motivates an affair - not least a million years of evolution!
My betting is that the current generation will be much less likely to run into trouble as there is so much less shame, religion and humiliation around. They do talk to each other as well...! That's the formula!


