We Live Here Now

In We Live Here Now, the author employs Gothic devices to explore the corrosive dynamics hidden within long-term intimate relationships. The malevolent environment of Larkin Lodge exposes the dark impulses (jealousy, betrayal, resentment, and violence) that lurk beneath the characters’ marriages. Through the Lodge’s power to enhance, fracture, and preserve the “worst parts” of its inhabitants, the novel dramatizes the destructive potential embedded within close partnerships.

The marital strain experienced by Emily and Freddie, as well as their London friends, highlights how long-term relationships often deteriorate due to unmet expectations and accumulating resentments. As Russell points out, this process of disillusionment is inevitable, as in the early days of a relationship, individuals “heighten the best bits of [themselves] and hide the worst bits” (45). This “illusion” of perfection cannot be maintained in the long term. Pinborough also draws attention to the perversity of human nature, as the characters admit that the aspects of their partner’s behavior that most irritate them are traits that they initially found attractive. For example, Emily increasingly perceives Freddie’s once-alluring easy manner as a sign of weakness and indolence. The secrets that Emily and Freddie keep from each other (Emily’s affair and Freddie’s gambling debts) demonstrate how the growing emotional distance between the couple leads to lies, betrayal, and deception.