Both Ways is the Only Way That I Want It

Just finished reading Maile Meloy's "Both Ways is the Only Way that I Want It."  I don't know if this ever happens to other people:  I really enjoy Meloy's books, but I kind of forgot about her.  It wasn't until I stumbled across her recent short story in The New Yorker that I thought to google her, realized that she had a new book, and went to the library to pick it up.

I liked, but did not love, Both Ways is the Only Way That I Want It.  It's a collection of short stories, primarily about relationships, marriage, and infidelity.

My favorite short story of the collection was "Two Step," mostly for the way that the story unfolds.  Still, there was this one dialogue that made me pause, because the character echoed something I once heard at a dinner party and found incredibly depressing:  "Who was it who said that marriage is a long struggle for moral advantage?"

Apparently, the answer is Marge Simpson.  This makes me feel better.

p.s.  The book's title is taken from a poem by A.R. Ammons, which I adore:

One can't
Have it 

both ways
and both 

ways is
the only 

way I
want it.