The House of Torchy

Meet Richard T. Ballard, known to all as Torchy, a man who has just married the luminous Verona (Vee) and dragged her off to a quaint Vermont inn for their honeymoon. The problem: Torchy can't stop making wry, self-aware observations about his own newfound domesticity, and he absolutely cannot stop himself from trying to mingle with the other guests at the inn, who happen to be a wonderfully refined lot who discuss art and literature while Torchy sits there feeling like a boorish interloper. Vee, to her eternal credit, takes it all in stride, cheerful and radiant, while her new husband internally combusts with embarrassment and witty commentary. The novel drips with the specific anxieties of early 20th century newlyweds: the awkwardness of sharing a room, the terror of being judged by strangers, the desperate hope that your wife doesn't notice how thoroughly you've embarrassed yourself. Ford's genius is in Torchy's narration - he knows exactly how absurd he sounds, which makes his failures funnier rather than more painful. If you've ever felt like the outsider at a sophisticated gathering, or if you've ever been newly married and wondered what you've gotten yourself into, Torchy is your man.