The Eighth Year: A Vital Problem of Married Life

"The Eighth Year: A Vital Problem of Married Life" by Philip Gibbs is a close look at marriage in the early 1900s. It argues that the eighth year of marriage is often the hardest, especially for middle-class couples. The story shows how love can fade as couples face real-life problems, and they start noticing each other's imperfections and begin to argue. The book uses stories to show how people in love can slowly drift apart and get tired of their daily lives as external cultural influences put pressures on them. Overall, the book sets up the idea that understanding what happens in a marriage is important to help couples stay together.