The latest book from the Under the Tuscan Sun author draws from her own experience to explore the beautiful, complicated topic of relationships.
by Addie Ladner

“A river runs through the book,” says Frances Mayes of her forthcoming novel, A Great Marriage. “I loved writing about what that river meant to Dara and her father. They’d swim and lay on the rocks. She and Austin first make love on that river. It’s a symbolic thread.”

You may know Mayes for her best-selling novel Under the Tuscan Sun. But this book — “for the first time in a long time” — has nothing to do with Italy. In fact, it’s rooted here in North Carolina. 

The main character’s family is from a town called Hillston, which is modeled after Hillsborough, where Mayes and her husband lived for more than 10 years. The fictional family estate, Redbud, is inspired by Mayes’ former Chatwood Farm. And that river? It’s the Eno, reimagined. Filled with warmth and deep characterization, the novel follows Dara and Austin, who are madly in love and engaged — until a tragic secret prompts Dara to call off the wedding. 

Along the way, Dara has strong, supportive women to offer their sage advice. “I wanted Dara to have a background of a great marriage,” says Mayes. “A great marriage is when you place your partner in a position more than equal to yours. You want more for them than for yourself. But the other person has to feel the same.” 

Such is the main theme of the novel, one for which Mayes has plenty of fodder. She says she weaved together experiences from her own life, as well as details about her friends and family, to develop the characters and their experiences. “Little bits of biography become important parts of the story,” says Mayes. Will Dara and Austin find their way back to one another? Pick up this poetic, intergenerational novel of family bonds, loss and love on Aug. 13 to find out. 

This article originally appeared in the August 2024 issue of WALTER magazine.