Secrets of a Very Good Marriage

When Sherry Suib Cohen met her attorney/fisherman husband, she was drawn—against her will—into a world of power boats, fishing lines, and dubious baits. Frightened by the challenges of stormy waters and toothy sharks, she nonetheless learned some remarkable lessons about marriage from the exhilaration, boredom, loneliness, risk-taking, survival techniques, and, yes, sexiness she discovered at sea. Cohen’s lovely stories ring true for every relationship. Her lessons of intimacy and sensuality include these:

•See the beauty in what he loves, even if it looks like ground-up fish bait.
•Spend time together: hearing about catching the shark isn’t the same as feeling the shark’s breath.
•The tides are constant, and you’d better be too.
•Love has only one sure route: unconditional support, even if you’re scared, even you have to bluff it.

From how to rock the waves of passion to how to make marriage a safe harbor,Cohen’s message is perfect for anyone in love—with another person or with the sea.

Secrets of a Very Good MarriagePrologue
Part 1: Launchings
1. My First Time
2. Hue
3. No Mullet Fishing
4. A Good Boat
5. You Have to Have Been There
6. Ritual, Sea, and Earth
7. Naming

Part 2: Tides
8. Quenelles in the Mackerel
9. Audible Strokes
10. Community of Two
11. Patience
12. Tuna Odyssey: The Great Give-Back
13. Fidelity
14. Blue Water
15. Creating Intimacy

Part 3: Crosscurrents
16. Landmarks
17. Danger
18. Going Too Far
19. Where Home Is
20. No One's Perfect
21. Changing the Subject
22. Knots
23. Weathering the Storms
24. Surrender

Part 4: Sea of Plenty
25. Renewal
26. Lifesavers
27. So, What Do You Think?
28. Flirting
29. Just Do It
30. The Richly Layered Marriage
31. Passion

The Secrets

Sherry Suib Cohen is a freelance writer whose articles appear regularly in such newspapers and magazines as The New York Times, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Ladies' Home Journal, and New Woman, where she is a contributing editor. She is the author of The Magic of Touch and Tender Power, among others. She lives in New York City.