How did Beth and Frank’s marriage seem to you at the start of the novel? Once you read on, did your perception of their marriage change?
I thought they had a good marriage and Beth enjoyed being a farmer’s wife. Later as we learned how Bobby died the marriage was in trouble.
They had a good marriage given the truth about Bobby’s father, which Frank would have known. (Right?) The family of three enjoyed farm life. They seemed happy and contented. Bobby’s death changed Beth and Frank’s commitment to one another, especially when Gabriel reappears with his son.
I think it would be almost impossible for a reader’s perception to not change. However, once we learn “who’s your Daddy,” it is nearly impossible to sense different emotions bubbling beneath the surface.
Yes definitely, once I learned about Bobby’s death I could see that the happy farm family was not the same, later as pieces of the puzzle started to form and Gabriel shows up you can visibly start to feel the fractures in the marriage
It seemed like a good marriage in the beginning but once Gabriel showed up, seemed there were unresolved issues.
It certainly seemed in the beginning that they had a wonderful life. After Bobby’s death things changed and you could see the cracks forming. Gabriel returning was the nail in the coffin. I’m actually surprised that in the end they were able to resume their marriage.
From the first page, I knew that Gabriel was going to bring trouble for Beth and Frank. It was the first of many instances of foreshadowing in the novel.
Understanding anyone’s marriage is tricky, but I think Beth was in a comfortable place, both in her marriage and her role at the farm.
Im an outlier on a few aspects of this book. I didnt see the marriage as that much different from beginning. It is shown that Frank was in deep mourning as well as Beth. Frank didnt instigate or for lack of caring cause the death of Bobby, he is shown to genuinely love the boy deeply. So the intimation that because Bobby was not Frank’s might/could cause some kind of lacking in Franks level of care I just didnt buy. Frank seemed to be solid from Day One. While Beth seemed to just go along with the marriage, it seemed she was content early and while the loss of Bobby was soul ripping, she seemed to appreciate Frank.
Their marriage at the beginning was strong and they were content. They had weathered Bobby’s death and Frank must have known Bobby wasn’t his biological son but they’d still created a family. Gabriel’s return, the killing, and Frank’s incarceration would have ended many (most?) marriages but they stayed together. Perhaps, at root, still a strong or at least content marriage?
I’m in agreement with Kenneth. The family life Frank and Beth built together was solid. It brought both of them joy. They loved one another deeply. I didn’t fee that that ever changed. Certainly Gabriel’s return impacted their marriage, but Beth always knew she loved Frank and the life they had together.
It seemed strong, but that’s what the author wanted the reader to believe. And then she started to weave in the threads of change with the death of Bobby, Gabriel’s return and Frank’s evening visits to the local bar. As the many marriage fractures appeared my perception certainly changed, leaving questioning how will this marriage last???/
I felt that Beth and Frank had a good relationship although they were struggling with the loss of Bobby. It seemed they had respect, love, and intimacy. Once Gabriel arrives, Beth allows the past and her unresolved emotions take over.
I think Beth and Frank’s marriage at the start of the novel seemed quite good. When they lost Bobby, I think it was a difficult struggle.