Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. In a lot of ways, those early days of the pandemic were a stress test on every facet of our lives.

You know, big picture stuff, of course, our politics, our economy, our education system, but also in the more personal level too.

You know, our relationships with our neighbors, kids, and significant others. Today's book takes place in April 2020, and it's about a marriage that

isn't doing so hot underneath the weight of it all. It's titled Pete and Alice in Maine by

Caitlin Shetterly. And she talked to NPR Scott Simon about the book and what was going on

in her marriage

while she was writing it. But the real meat of the conversation comes when they start talking

philosophically about one of the main cornerstones of a marriage. Forgiveness. That's in a minute.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Some people kind of like the pandemic, not illness, worry, and feeling trapped, but having

your children close by and everything from bread, radicchio, milk, or oat milk, to toothpicks

delivered. People like Pete and Alice.

Married New York City couple. Pete is in finance. Alice, a playwright whose career has been

delayed by caring for the two children, Sophie and Iris. Their marriage is rocked by Pete's cheating

and then COVID. They repair to their second home in Maine to feel safer from COVID, but they take along all

their resentments, challenges, and love.

Caitlin Shetterly is the author of the new novel, Pete and Alice in Maine.

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