THE INFIDELITY REPORT: A Modern Epidemic

Interview results and reports of others' research, with bland commentary--all of which adds up to a routine picture of ""cheaters,"" ""cheatees,"" and ""victims."" Leigh begins with the story of her own father's infidelity--the reason for her interest in the subject--and then looks for some larger truths. Profiles of the typical cheater (""Perhaps President Kennedy's notorious womanizing can be partly attributed to the model his father, Joe, set for him""), the typical cheatee (""the Duke of Windsor, for example, was a celebrated other man. . .""), and the typical victim (""I found that most women I talked to haven't discussed their feelings about fidelity with their mate"") offer many, highly assorted examples--and some obvious conclusions: ""Linda's story illustrates the revenge motive, the woman who has an affair as a reaction to her husband's."" She goes on to describe the consequences of infidelity--damage to relationships, a special caution about contracting AIDS and herpes. Again, the obvious is put (clunkishly) as discovery: ""According to my research, open marriage and swinging sometimes are the bridge between infidelity and divorce."" Leigh's own strong endorsement, as ""a reformed cheater,"" is for monogamy--only through commitment and closeness may we ""begin to crack what Kafka terms 'the frozen sea within us.' "" Superficial and banal.