How does the narrator mislead himself about his marriage in the novel, We Cast a Shadow?

The narrator uses effusive and glowing language to describe Penny and the relationship they have. He depicts them as maintaining a strong bond, playful attraction, and an acute understanding of the other’s tics and neuroses. He often catches himself commenting on her beauty or integrity and marvels over how lucky he is to be married to her. In the novel’s conclusion, the narrator learns that his wife had been desperately unhappy in the marriage and even contemplated leaving. This fact reveals the ways in which the narrator’s deception left him blinded to the reality of his marriage, and that like many aspects of the narrator’s life, he was unable to acknowledge the truth below the surface.