The Marriage Sabbatical

Jason and Nicole Elswick’s marriage has lasted for 23 years. They have raised two children, weathered the pandemic, and experienced joys and heartaches. With their children spending the year abroad, Jason is off to take a work sabbatical in the form of a motorcycle trip in South America. Nicole decides not to accompany him and instead enrolls in a silversmithing class in New Mexico. She and Jason decide to enact their neighbors’ policy of taking a break from their marriage whenever they are more than 500 miles apart, and they go on separate journeys, planning to reunite after nine months. Dolan paints an honest portrait of a long-term partnership, addressing the uncomfortable truths of monogamy and the loss of individual self that can plague a marriage. The depiction of ethical nonmonogamy is compassionate, exemplifying how it can work (and not) for different people. Narrator Stacey Glemboski does a brilliant job of expressing the breadth and depth of emotion experienced by both main characters. While the ending is somewhat rushed and undoes some of the earlier open-mindedness of the plot, the overall story will have listeners rooting for the couple.