About this episode
This episode explores various stories and perspectives on infidelity and cheating.
Stories of cheating, cheaters, and the cheated. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira talks with Jessica Pressler about a phenomenon she noticed in the wedding notices in The New York Times. Couples were cheerfully telling—as part of their "meet cute" stories—how their relationships began with one of them cheating on a spouse or long-time partner. (4 minutes) Act One: From England, Ruby Wright has a story of an affair where—even years after it ended—it wasn't much discussed. (14 minutes) Act Two: Ira reviews some infidelity stats from his mother's book on the subject, Not Just Friends. And author James Braly tells a story of temptation live onstage at The Moth. (15 minutes) Act Three: Dani Shapiro on the confusing mess things can be during an affair. The story is from her memoir, Slow Motion. (16 minutes) Act Four: Etgar Keret describes the moment in the immediate aftermath of an affair. Actor Matt Malloy reads. (4 minutes) Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org This American Life privacy policy. Learn more about sponsor message choices.
People in this episode
Host: Ira
Guests: Jessica Pressler, Ruby Wright, James Braly, Dani Shapiro, Etgar Keret, Matt Malloy
Topics covered
- infidelity
- cheating
- relationships
- affairs
- temptation
- marriage
- confusion
Keywords
- infidelity
- cheating
- affairs
- relationships
- temptation
- marriage
- confusion
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The New York Times
Books & works: Not Just Friends, Slow Motion, The Moth
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