WHEN it comes to relationship self-help books, the accepted practise is for the author to convince the reader of their viewpoint, a particular school of thought or theory.
In Committed, author Elizabeth Gilbert spends much of the time trying to convince herself of the merits of marriage.
- Committed: A sceptic makes peace with marriage, by Elizabeth Gilbert. Allen & Unwin, rrp $32.99
As the title implies, Gilbert is a nuptial sceptic; having been burned by marriage and suffered a bitter divorce once, she has no plans to marry again, even though she has met the man of her dreams.
He is Felipe, a Brazilian-born Australian, and their plans of resettling in her home country, America, forces them to tie the knot, under threat of Felipe's deportation.
So while they wait for the US Department of Immigration to grant Felipe citizenship, the couple travel through Asia.
The book is equal parts travelogue, self-exploration, and a historical, cultural and anthropological journey. She draws on American history, Vietnamese tradition, Greek myth, family wisdom, everything that can possibly convince her marriage is a worthwhile right of passage.
The book is much anticipated as the follow-up to her wildly successful Eat, Pray, Love, which detailed her personal recovery post-divorce.
In fact, so popular was the book that Gilbert admits she doubted whether she could ever write unself-consciously again and actually dumped the first draft of Committed.
Fans of the author should not compare the two books - or otherwise expect disappointment.
They serve vastly different purposes. But both are written in the same brutally honest, humourous and intelligent fashion.
