After the Honeymoon: How Conflict Can Improve Your Relationship

Recommended by a wonderful marriage therapist. It's a good place to start if working on any marital issues. Wile is very articulate, easy to understand, and psychologically it all makes a lot of sense.

I'm a licensed psychologist in practice for 30 years, and this is the best single book on identifying and expressing emotions in a relationship that I've ever seen. I routinely recommend it to clients; it contains a wealth of information. Wyle gives many examples of how to name feelings that lie below the surface, and how to share them with others in ways that are non-threatening and non-blaming. A fantastic book.

I've read literally dozens of books on marital communications issues and this is by far the best. Wile does not cast the problem in moral or "should do" terms. He offers sample conversations which are startling: "Hey, I had a conversation that went bad exactly like that!" He explores the structure of the event, suggesting ways in which our personal histories get in the way of good communication. Each chapter ends with a restructured conversation which gets around those problems.

Both in my personal life and in practicing psychotherapy with individuals and couples, I have found that the guidance given in this book is exceptionally helpful and to the point. The author does not waste words; he provides dozens of suggestions and rules for dealing with oneself and the other so that one can handle the inevitable conflict in relationship (intimate and nonintimate) better and find greater satisfaction as a result. I couldn't recommend this book more highly.

After the Honeymoon is a rare book. It's written with such a wealth of insights that to fully absorb them all takes a bit of time. Every relationship will be enhanced by reading this book. As a couples' counselor, I have recommended this book to all of my clients, with great results.