This is The Writer's Voice, New Fiction from The New Yorker.

I'm Deborah Treesman, Fiction Editor at The New Yorker.

On this episode of The Writer's Voice, we'll hear Joseph O'Neill read his story, The First World,

from the July 2nd, 2018 issue of the magazine.

O'Neill is the author of four novels, including Netherland,

which won the Penn Faulkner Award for Fiction in 2009, and The Dog.

His first story collection, Good Trouble, was published this month.

Now here's Joseph O'Neill.

The First World The First World. My marriage came to an end with consequences that were almost all beyond my powers of anticipation.

One such consequence was that a series of men confided in me about their marriages, past or present.

These weren't my old buddies.

My old buddies suddenly viewed me with a kind of fear.

These were guys with whom I'd had friendly but arm's length dealings.

A father, at my kid's school, the contractor, who was painting my new place,

or to take an astounding case my dermatologist. Previously, his opinions had been restricted to the

perils of moles. Now he opened up unprompted on the pros and cons of monogamy as he'd experienced

them. Either these men had heard about my new situation, or something about me, some post-apocalyptic

air, had led them to sniff it out.

With established friends, my habit was to keep dark marital details to myself.

This reticence was intended to protect my reputation, not that of the former spouse.

It isn't estimable to air dirty linen.

With my newfound brethren, though, I could say what I liked, as could they.

...