
Infidelity is one thing. Sleeping around when your spouse has two years to live is another. Just ask Ray Kluun, a Dutch marketing strategist-cum-novelist who did just that while his wife, Judith, was dying of breast cancer in 2001. His novelized account, Love Life, is already a 600,000-copies-strong best-seller in Holland. It comes out here this month. The book is a raw, honest look at the darker corners of the human heart, but also, Kluun would argue, "a controversial 21st-century fairy tale."
MC: You call this a love story, but over the course of the book, the main character — based on you — repeatedly cheats on his wife. Explain?
RK: I loved my wife very much, and, on one hand, I was the ideal partner. I quit my job, went to all the chemotherapies, did everything I could to be there. Psychologists say when people give all their love and energy to a partner with cancer, they escape into a weakness they already have. So workaholics will work 80 hours a week, others will use alcohol or drugs. What I used to think of as an innocent thing — having sex with someone else once a year or so — became an obsession.
MC: Cheating is a little more serious than getting drunk...
RK: I'm not trying to excuse my actions, but people sometimes do strange things when they're under pressure.
MC: Do you have any regrets?
RK: No. I told my first wife everything in our last weeks together. She understood, and I was able to be there for her. I'm very thankful for the honesty and love that we shared.
MC: You're now married to one of your former flings. How's that working out?
RK: We're more realistic and very open about our feelings. I've learned that you shouldn't hide your deepest feelings from your partner.
MC: Your book is a best-seller in the Netherlands, where people are generally open-minded. Are you worried about the reaction it will get in the U.S.?
RK: Cities like New York and L.A. aren't that different from here. But I'm not sure the book will be very popular in Alabama.
Click here to purchase Love Life by Ray Kluun.
-
The Queen Touched Up Her Lipstick During Her First Jubilee Appearance
She actually regularly does this in public, which is amazing.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's Love "Will Continue to Run Deep," Tarot Reader Says
The newlyweds just shared photos from their wedding.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
The 15 Best Comedy Movies on Hulu
For when you just need a good laugh.
By Megan DiTrolio
-
The 50 Best Vibrators, According to Sex Toy Experts
The most trusted source in feelin' yourself.
By Alanna Greco
-
Diary of a Non-Monogamist
Rachel Krantz, author of the new book 'Open,' shares the ups and downs of her journey into the world of open relationships.
By Abigail Pesta
-
The 16 Best Sex Games to Spice Up Date Night With
Game night, but make it hot.
By The Editors
-
COVID Forced My Polyamorous Marriage to Become Monogamous
For Melanie LaForce, pandemic-induced social distancing guidelines meant she could no longer see men outside of her marriage. But monogamy didn't just change her relationship with her husband—it changed her relationship with herself.
By Melanie LaForce
-
Four Flirting Fun Facts--With Research to Back Them Up!
My pal Judy Dutton just wrote an excellent new book: How We Do It: How the Science of Sex Can Make You a Better Lover. She's chatted with me about the psychological studies that show how best to flirt; what kind of pick-up lines work best; and what you're really saying with your body language.
By Maura Kelly
-
100 Sex Songs That Won't Make You Cringe
Dim the lights and hit play on this sex songs — the perfect playlist of songs to have sex to.
By The Editors
-
75 Movie Sex Scenes That Are 100 Percent Real
These actors aren't faking anything.
By Mehera Bonner
-
33 Unexpected Valentine's Day 2022 Date Ideas
A.k.a. not dinner and roses.
By The Editors