Vivian Fransen

The Straight Spouse Vivian Fransen

"You never, ever, have to worry about me being with another woman--that will never happen," said Victor. "What you do have to worry about is me being with another man."

That moment is the beginning of the end of a happily-ever-after marriage. After 12 years of marriage, Victor confesses to his wife that he is tormented by same-sex yearnings. Despite his revelation, she is determined to do whatever it takes to make their marriage work: candid conversations, visits with clergy, work with a therapist, search for relevant books. She struggles to keep her marriage from falling apart.

The Straight Spouse: A Memoir is a love story about a woman who is married to a man who turns out to be gay--and how she deals with it in unexpected ways. This story takes place in the early 1990s, and she believes she is the only woman in the world to face this unthinkable threat to her marriage. Her journey--sometimes disturbing, sometimes uplifting--is about the importance of letting go and finding one's own way through hard times.