In one of the most talked about books of the year, provocative cultural commentator Stephen Marche examines the state of male-female relations in the 21st century, with commentary from his wife, Toronto Life editor-in-chief Sarah Fulford.

On a warm spring morning in New York City, Stephen Marche, then a new father and tenure-track professor, got the call: his wife had been offered her dream job . . . in Toronto. Their mutual decision to move home, prioritizing her career over his, shed new light on the gender roles in their marriage. It also provoked a surprising and divided response from the world around them.

In The Unmade Bed, Marche explores the phenomena that define our modern conversations on gender, from mansplaining to parenting to the division of domestic labour. As his view is only one half of the story, Marche’s wife and Toronto Life editor-in-chief Sarah Fulford provides footnote commentary throughout. The result is a uniquely balanced and acutely personal exploration into the moments in everyday life where men and women meet. Going beyond who does the laundry, Marche provocatively argues that we are no longer engaged in a war of the sexes, but rather stuck together in a labyrinth of contradictions. And these contradictions are keeping women from power and confounding male identity.

The Unmade Bed has ignited an international conversation about the complex and shifting landscape of gender relations.

Stephen Marche is a novelist and culture columnist. Marche received his Ph.D in Early Modern Drama in 2005 from the University of Toronto. He went on to teach Renaissance Drama at City College in New York. He is the author of two novels — Shining At The Bottom Of The Sea (2007) and Raymond and Hannah (2005), which was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award in 2006. His recent non-fiction project, How Shakespeare Changed Everything (2011), uncovers the sometimes hidden influence of Shakespeare in modern culture. He currently writes “A Thousand Words About Our Culture,” a monthly column for Esquire magazine, which was a finalist for the 2011 American Society of Magazine Editors National Magazine Award for commentary. Marche also writes a weekly column for the National Post and has written about literature and politics for Salon.com, The New Republic, The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail, Maclean’s, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Walrus. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two children.

Stephen Marche's profile page

“Stephen Marche is a very brave man: in The Unmade Bed he makes the case that relations between men and women have never been better. Because he is also a very brilliant writer, he pulls it off. A thrilling read, no less because his wife has provided footnotes.”

Ian Brown, author of <em><em>Sixty</em></em>

“The definitions of masculinity and manliness are changing, and Marche’s commentaries will help readers understand how. Satisfying food for thought on the ever-changing dynamics of men and women as they interact and go about their individual lives.”

<em>Kirkus Reviews</em>

“The Unmade Bed is poignant, thought-provoking and a necessary addition to a cultural moment where the Western world is grappling with the biggest shift in gender relations in human history.”

<em>National Post</em>

“The book feels almost like a type of cerebral entry an educated writer, father, or husband might make to himself in his journal: a private fact-finding mission to meditate on the rules of today and better survive the culture of tomorrow. Thankfully, Marche made this particular journal entry public.”

<em>Booklist</em>

“What Marche argues in The Unmade Bed makes great sense, and he is nothing if not a fluent stylist.”

<em>Winnipeg Free Press</em>

“The Unmade Bed is a rollicking read and a very frank look at issues at an important set of issues from the male perspective.”

Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO New America

“There is much pleasure found between the covers of this particular messy bed.”

<em>The Globe and Mail</em>