The Golden Couple

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 7

Part 1, Chapters 8-14

Part 2, Chapters 15-24

Part 2, Chapters 25-31

Part 3, Chapters 32-44

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

The Deceptive Nature of Appearances

The central theme of The Golden Couple is the deceptive nature of appearances, which is spoken to by the book’s title itself. The “golden couple” in question may appear perfect at first glance, but they are in fact in a deeply fractured relationship. Avery recognizes this in their very first meeting when she accuses Marissa of orchestrating picture-perfect moments in her marriage. When Marissa relays a fond memory, Avery retorts: “That’s an Instagram post. Give me something real” (14). The narrative then summarizes the supposed “golden couple”: “Avery has cut to the core of what their marriage has become: curated moments served up in public, while in private the emptiness between them slowly expands” (15). The book’s conflict is immediately established: Don’t believe what you see on the exterior.

This applies not only to couples but also to individuals. Matthew’s character is the ultimate proof of the book’s exploration of the idea that you can’t trust outward appearances. Matthew appears to be a loving husband who wants to make things work with his wife, even after her infidelity. He has photos of her in his office, which reflects the image-forward, “Instagram” nature of appearances in the novel. He tells Avery, “I’ve done a lot of soul-searching, and one thing I know for sure is that I want to stay married to Marissa. I can’t help it. I love my wife” (363). The truth is that Matthew is plotting to kill his wife. However, Matthew’s duplicitous nature goes further back, as it’s also revealed that he is the man responsible for Tina’s death.

Marissa is forced to confront her perfect husband’s false appearances when he’s preparing to kill her. She realizes: “He was never the unaware, wronged husband. That was an illusion; a gifted con artist’s sleight of hand” (374). Marissa later refers to Matthew as “a master illusionist” (377). Words like “illusionists” and “con artist” summarize the idea of the deceptive nature of appearances. An illusionist in particular (a magician) is adept at getting people to see something that isn’t there or getting them to see it in a distorted way. Matthew embodies this idea and presents dissonance between reality and what you see on the surface. This idea is evidenced in other characters too, however, like Marissa (the seemingly perfect wife who has an affair with her husband’s good friend) and Avery (the maverick therapist who is a liar).

Loyalty Versus Betrayal

The theme of loyalty versus betrayal is seen most obviously in Marissa’s character, through her marital infidelity. However, there are many other instances of betrayal in the book. For example, Finley Jones, Avery’s pharmaceutical company client, betrays her employer’s trust. There is also Matthew’s mother, intensely loyal to her son to the extent of giving her son a false alibi. Even Chris, although he didn’t actively lie to the police, remained loyal to his son and protected Matthew by saying nothing. Chris clearly knew Matthew killed Tina; as Chris confesses to Avery, “I lost my son when he was sixteen and came home with blood on his shirt the night that girl was murdered. My wife went to bed early that night, but Matthew told her to say he and Skip watched a movie with her, so she did. She always covered for him” (397). In this way, the authors center questions about loyalty and betrayal around the figure of Matthew; Marissa and his mother are juxtaposed because Matthew’s mother remains loyal to him by obstructing justice, and Marissa betrays Matthew yet escapes a violent marriage.

Through these complicated instances of loyalty versus betrayal, Pekkanen and Hendricks subvert traditionally moral associations with loyalty and betrayal. For example, normally, maternal or paternal loyalty has moral associations, yet Matthew, a murderer, walks free while an innocent man sits in prison because of his parents’ blind loyalty. Similarly, Marissa’s character commits marital infidelity. However, when Matthew’s true nature is revealed, Marissa’s “betrayal” offers a means of escape in the narrative structure that implicitly suggests a happy ending for her. Similarly, Finley’s betrayal of her employer saves lives and supports public health at large. In upending traditional views of loyalty and betrayal, the book forces the reader to question these views.

The book explores extreme examples of repercussions and punishment for betrayal. Marissa betrays her husband. In Matthew’s eyes, it’s a sin that’s worth punishment—by death. Acelia also pursues justice by tracking down Avery to find out about the employee who betrayed them. Those who pursue (often violent) punishments for betrayal are the antagonists in the novel.

The Risks and Rewards of Rule-Breaking

The Golden Couple explores the theme of the risks and rewards of rule-breaking primarily through Avery’s character. Avery is a rule-breaker. This is seen in the Prologue when she is described as a “maverick therapist” and reinforced in the very first chapter when she offers Matthew and Marissa tequila in their first meeting with her. This is just one example; Avery breaks much larger rules and laws. She breaks so many rules in her professional life that she loses her license. Even now, she continues to push the limits by following her new clients, the Bishops, and violating their privacy. Avery also breaks the rules in her personal life, as epitomized when she reveals that she helped her husband, Paul, take his own life. Although this was a case of compassionate euthanasia, as Paul was seriously ill, the case is pursued as insurance fraud by a life-insurance company.

In Avery’s case, she is often presented as breaking rules for a larger cause or greater good. She is rewarded in the narrative as a result. For example, her missteps as a therapist may have led to her losing her license. However, they also result in her gaining great notoriety—and getting more demands for work than ever before; this is a point that opens the book and initiates its plot. At the book’s end, she shoots a man dead, making both her and Matthew (the book’s antagonist) the only two characters in this novel who kill people. This comparison of the antihero and the antagonist reinforces the frequent explorations of moral ambiguity in the novel and leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions about Avery’s rule-breaking tendencies.

Across the novel, Avery is characterized through a larger pattern of rule-breaking. In the case of Skylar and Cameron, Avery broke into their home to film the couple without their knowledge. She achieved the end result of Cameron leaving his wife. Further, Avery does not express regret for her actions. In the falling action of the novel, Avery’s actions are implicitly rewarded with a return to normality. This forces the reader to question if and when rule-breaking merits reward.