"Joshua Henkin, in Matrimony, reminds me once again of the power of good fiction, of its capacity to trigger a sense of recognition in being told of lives lived. In this wonderful new novel, it's the life of a marriage that is described in all its subtlety and heartbreak. The story of Mia and Julian moved me deeply, reminding me of my early encounters with James Salter's Light Years, and I'm confident that Matrimony will find a broad and admiring readership among my customers."
--Mitchell Kaplan, Books and Books, Miami, FL

"Joshua Henkin has written a beautiful book about the everyday life of a young married couple - spanning twenty years - and how they endure a marriage of conflict, money and ambition, and love, in its purest form. Julian Wainwright and Mia Mendelsohn meet in college - Julian has aspirations to publish his first novel. Ann Arbor, and Iowa City, both with MFA programs, are the backdrop to their story. Soon after Julian and Mia are married, Mia's mother dies. That adds another layer to the success of their marriage, as family pressures play a large role in the young couple's life. Henkin tests the strength of the family ties - amidst the turmoil - and the underlying themes of success on so many levels. At the end, he leaves us with a sense of hope for a good future for Mia and Julian."
--Roberta Rubin, The Book Stall, Winnetka, IL

"I enjoyed this smart, lovely book so much that I've been passing it along to everyone I know. Matrimony is the story of Julian and Mia as their relationship evolves from infatuation to real commitment--with all the jealousy, sex and grad school that entails. Joshua Henkin's writing doesn't need to show off and never veers into cliche; his gift is breathing truth into these characters and places so that the end of the book feels like you're leaving new friends. I particularly appreciate that the real romance of Julian and Mia's story lies not as much in the initial bloom of getting together as in the messy figuring out of how to make a life together. This is an elegant, grown-up love story."
--Alison Marra, Good Yarns, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY

"Henkin offers a trenchant look at the trials and tests of a marriage born of tragedy. The imminent death of Mia's mother from breast cancer propels her to propose to Julian just as they finish college. Ill-equipped and in significant ways ill-matched, they launch themselves into fulfilling aspirations, Mia to a career as a psychologist, Julian to write the Great American Novel. Spanning twenty years from the Reagan era through 9/11 and beyond and covering life in various college towns and New York City, Matrimony dissects a very American marriage with precision and compassion."
--Helen Sinoradzki, Annie Bloom's Books, Portland, OR

"College freshmen Julian and Mia fall in love at a small alternative college very much like Hampshire, in a town very much like Northampton. Their journey takes them -- and us -- to Ann Arbor and Berkeley and Iowa City and Greenwich Village, through family crises and betrayals, as they try to grow up into the adults they want to be, and the ones they can't help being. Henkin's prose is fresh and never sentimental; his quiet story grabbed my interest and kept it."
--Elli Meeropol, Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MA

"There are no outlandish characters in Matrimony, the new novel by Joshua Henkin, no complicated pyrotechnics of plot or prose. The story of Julian, an aspiring writer from a wealthy family, and Mia, a Canadian grappling with her Jewish faith, Matrimony details the next twenty years of their life together, from their initial meeting as students to their late thirties and impending parenthood. The power of Matrimony lies in the slow building of these details: the give and take of every marriage, the struggles even the best of us encounter, the banal tragedies of the workaday world, and how a marriage manages to bear it all and prosper. While offering no easy answers, Matrimony is at heart a deeply optimistic novel, and if, in the end, Julian and Mia seem just a shade too good to be true, well, we should all be so lucky."
--Marie Gauthier, The Jeffrey Amherst Bookshop, Amherst, MA.

"Told largely from the perspective of Julian Wainwright, aspiring writer and scion of a wealthy New York family, Matrimony traces his relationships with his girlfriend Mia and his college buddy Carter in the fifteen years after college. Matrimony deals with issues familiar to most of us--betrayal, competition, love, illness and death, and Henkin's insightful depiction of his characters' ability to hurt, love and forgive one another makes Matrimony a moving and absorbing novel."
--Ashley Montague, Penn Book Center, Philadelphia, PA

"The brilliance Joshua Henkin displayed in Swimming Across the Hudson is even more evident in Matrimony. He examines the changing nature of relationship and faith over the course of twenty years with insight and prose that renders his complex subject beautifully. What Matrimony really does is give a perfect portrayal of the complex nature of all human interaction."
--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI

"Matrimony casts a haunting spotlight on the subtle dynamics of long-term marriages, and even friendships. It looks at how time spins a web of trust, the shattering effect that occurs when the bonds are broken, and the statement of love and hope that's made when the web is slowly rebuilt again. Henkin has an exceptional ability to zero in on the subtle, telling aspects of character, relationships and settings. A testament to the challenges and strength of the relationships that survive the test of time."
--Kris Neri, The Well Red Coyote, Sedona, AZ

"Matrimony is a true to life journey from college to adulthood with great highs and lows. Henkin's characters Julian and Mia deal with death, betrayal and forgiveness. The reality of challenges that have not so neat solutions make this novel one that is authentic. I will love selling this book to my readers."

Margaret Osondu, Osondu Booksellers, Waynesville, NC