Halfway to Each Other
How a Year in Italy Brought Our Family Home
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The remarkable true story of a couple on the brink of separation who finds love again while spending a year in Italy with their family now including an update five years later.
Tired, empty, and disillusioned with married life, Susan Pohlman was ready to call it quits. As soon as she and her husband, Tim, completed their business trip to Italy, she planned to break the news that she wanted to end their eighteen-year marriage.
During their last day as they walked along the Italian Rivera, Tim fantasized aloud that, perhaps, they could live there. After initially dismissing the idea, Susan realized that she wanted to give their marriage another try and that maybe life in such a beautiful place could bring them back to each other. Together with their fourteen-year-old daughter and eleven-year-old son, they leave the hectic life in Los Angeles for a more intimate lifestyle in Italy.
Susan's funny, touching story reveals how stepping out of their normal day-to-day lives truly united her family in a whole new way. In this expanded paperback edition of Halfway to Each Other, readers will be able to enjoy the original story of their adventures—no cars, no television -- and find out where they are today. When they returned to the United States, they went not to California, but to Arizona—and to a brand-new life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After nearly 20 years of marriage, the Pohlmans, in the final stages of divorce, decide to spend a year in Italy, a decision their "marital therapist called an elaborate scheme of avoidance at best." The resulting story is full of charm, Kodak moments, and tumult typical of Americans abroad. In Italy, the family faces daily challenges, like unraveling the mysterious bus system ("...something left over from the days of Mussolini?") and dealing with the government. Even the simple act of purchasing groceries is an exercise in frustration. But eventually, Susan and Tim adapt, learning how to be spouses again, and even friends. The family perseveres, pulls together, sheds some of their American patina, and learns a new way of life in a country known for a commitment to family. Not many mothers can boast a midnight swim with a 14-year-old daughter or dropping plans to ice skate with their children simply because they wanted to. The Pohlmans' adventure is the stuff that dreams are made of.
