Many romance novels feature a woman meeting a man at school, in a party, at work, or online. Soon the couple falls for each other and they decide to marry. The ideal marriage is created by the expectations society places upon couples. Many marriages are fraught with problems, including divorces and custody battles. The false perception of a perfect marriage can be seen in the marriages of Anne Conti and Marco from Shari Lappa’s The Couple Next Door. Nick and Amy Dunn are two prime examples. Both Anne and Amy are both female characters and have seen what a perfect union looks like. It’s evident that they were influenced by their parents and would seek revenge.
Many roles can be played in society by people, including their bosses. The role of a spouse, sibling or parent is usually considered private. Roles involving co-workers, friends, teachers and bosses are public. Both Anne as well as Amy were raised in wealthy homes. Amy Dunn was born to authors parents, and Amy’s husband considers her an “icon” (Flynn 49). Nick continues to call the main character of “Amazing Amy” and Amy doesn’t like her. Her character in the book is “whenever it goes wrong, Amazing Amy gets it right.” (Flynn. 319). This could have been why Amy always wanted to be the perfect girl. In all of her experiences, she has always compared herself as “Amazing Amy”. She was forced to move to Missouri when she realized she couldn’t hear the story. “How predictable, how perfectly normal.” (Flynn 315) She was more concerned about what others thought of her than she was about herself. Anne Conti felt the same way. She was also concerned about what others thought. Alice, Anne’s mom, is wealthy and “comes out of old money”. (Lapena at 30) Alice is a strong influence in Anne’s daily life. She wants only the best for Anne. Alice sent her off to the best high schools and universities. Alice tried to control Anne’s daughter’s love life but she failed. Anne then married Marco and caused discord between Marcos in-laws. Alice didn’t think Marco was “good enough” (Lapena.117) for her child and did not “approve of” him (Lapena.117). Anne ignored any conflicts between her husband’s family and Anne focused on the reactions of other mothers if she left her baby at home. Anne also experienced postpartum Depression. Her prescription was found in her bathroom cabinet by police. Anne tried to defend herself, saying that it was common and that many mothers experience it. (Lapena. 54) She wanted to be reassured that it is not something that is dangerous. Anne and Amy are both raised by their parents. They care deeply about other people’s opinions and strive to live ‘perfect lives. Both characters had to live up to their parents’ expectations. They were both raised to expect the best. It is not always easy to find happiness. Amy and Nick’s marriage had been very stable until the 2008 recession. The recession caused them to lose their jobs. Amy’s trust funds were soon destroyed by Amy and her parents while they were going through the early stages bankruptcy. Nick’s parents lost their mother to stage 4 breast carcinoma. They moved back to Missouri to be closer to Nick’s family. Nick was offered a teaching job at a local college. There he began to have an affair. He confesses that he was a mistress to a young woman named Andie. Amy frames Nick to be the victim in her’murder’. Amy so amazingly says that she is “so much happier now than I am” (Flynn 295). Anne and Marco are not perfect in their marriage. However, they had Cora, a daughter that led to Anne suffering postpartum depression. Anne was forced to stop working. Marco was unhappy with the state of his business and sought help from Richard, his father-in-law. Richard refuses, leaving Marco desperate. He eventually makes friends with a man who offers to help him kidnap and pay ransom money. Marco worries and Cora is abducted. He keeps telling himself “Cora is fine” (Lapena 142). The couple is reunited at the end of this novel. Every couple experiences problems in their relationships. There is no perfect union. Some couples have more problems than others. As well as money issues, loyalty can cause problems. Divorce isn’t always the best option.
Both couples were not truthful, but there was an obvious public perception that Cora and Amy had. Everyone believed Amy & Nick were happy. There was mutual desire for a child. Nick, however, “was a prisoner” (Flynn 551). Amy took a sample of Nick’s old sperm to get pregnant. Nick assumed Amy had thrown out her sample, which she did not. Desi, her ex-boyfriend, was the one she called after she was robbed. He helped her return home and she remained firm in her case. She made Desi a fugitive and then killed him in self-defense. Then she returned to her husband. Amy is very dangerous. She will lie, blackmail and commit murder in order to get what her heart desires. Nick was later able to hear her confess to Desi. She explained to Nick that Desi killed her because she was powerless and was “playing her back into her old lifestyle”. She also claimed that Desi had murdered her and she could blame him for everything (Flynn 523). Anne and Marco both get Cora back from Anne, but they also agree to work together on their marriage, as it is better for their daughter and them. Readers learn that Anne’s stepfather, Richard, was behind Cora’s kidnapping. Richard sent Bruce Neel, his friend, to Marco to help him find the money he needed. Richard had a plan to collect the ransom from Alice. He wanted Alice’s divorce, but needed Alice’s money. Alice learned about her husband’s affair with another woman. She knew this was different, but she didn’t know it at the time” (Lapena 285). Richard was having an affair with Anne’s neighbour Cynthia. Even when they are honest, there is always another perception. This is evident in both the novels and real life.
Anne and Marco’s marriage was threatened by Cora the kidnapper. Richard orchestrated the whole thing. Anne and Marco were known for their “pattern of not talking about difficult issues” (Lapena, 186) The two were both affected by Anne’s postpartum Depression and Marco’s business problems. Anne and Amy have an element of revenge in both books. Gone Girl reveals that Amy was vengeful for Nick’s cheating on her, and got in the way her ideal marriage. Anne’s incident at St. Mildred’s High School was described in The Couple Next Door. She didn’t remember it. Anne was diagnosed “dissociative Disorder” (Lapena 221). For a short time, the person is disconnected from reality. This happened to her when she was faced with some of her bullies. All she could recall was the aftermath. Anne learned about Richard’s plot to steal money from Alice and leave her for Cynthia, her neighbor. Cynthia confronted her about the matter. Cynthia went too far. This threatened Anne’s child’s survival. This caused Anne to panic. This triggered Anne.
Anne Conti and Marco are just two examples of couples who fall within the category of “perfect” marriages. It is clear that Anne and Amy have a sexy relationship and are ready to take revenge if it does not work out. They both get their revenge, even though Anne makes it backfire. Amy succeeds in getting her perfect marital union at the end. The truth of a relationship will always be seen by the public. No matter what others think, the truth of a marriage will always prevail. There is no perfect marital relationship. Different obstacles will be encountered in every marriage. These obstacles must be overcome in order to strengthen their relationship.