'Fates and Furies': Two sides of the truth

Meet Lancelot. Get his side of the story.

Meet Mathilde, and hear hers.

Lancelot — an aspiring actor who goes by Lotto for short — and Mathilde marry at 22. A decade later, their artsy, glamorous marriage seems perfect — until Groff pulls back the curtain.

To capture two sides of the same marriage, Groff's new book, "Fates and Furies," is split down the middle. First comes Lotto's story, then comes Mathilde's. Their memories are always at odds, making for an ambitious and emotional he said/she said showdown.

Lotto remembers an inspired proposal. Mathilde remembers saying "no." And that's just how things get started.

From NPR:

The half-and-half narration could've failed terribly if Groff hadn't had it in her to do the hard thing — which is not to just tell two versions of the same story, but two completely different stories that happen to contain some of the same details. But she did. A long marriage isn't just about two people remembering things differently, she says with her choices. It's about two people remembering entirely different things, inhabiting entirely different worlds.

Groff joined MPR News with Kerri Miller to talk about her new book.