It’s a gross understatement to call this a story about a troubled marriage. George and Martha live in a New England university town in the 1960s. Their marriage doesn’t crumble so much as it bursts and shatters and then bursts and shatters again. Language is the weapon of destruction, with the couple determined to destroy each other precisely because—despite everything—down deep there’s a love that won’t die.
Whether or not you’ve seen the play or the movie, the script itself is a compulsively satisfying read—a shattering story and an absolute battlefield of hostility and humor. Like THE CATCHER IN THE RYE and James Joyce novels, it’s a book that lovers of language reread again and again just to hear the sound of the voices. It’s impossible not to root for George and Martha, no matter how low they go. Reviewed on Dec. 16, 2021