Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison

3.5 Star

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose.








Lydia - 3.5 Star

I’m not really sure what to say about The Silent Wife. I often have this problem with very popular works which I clearly do not “get” all the time. This one has rave reviews, and then has horrible ones, and then there are those, like me, left scratching their heads neither loving nor hating it. I fall somewhere in this middle, and while I thought the writing was stellar I wasn’t sure about the rest of it. 

The Silent Wife is one of those books where I couldn’t relate to the characters, but for some reason I don’t think that’s what detracted from my enjoyment. I appreciated the insightful characterization which led to a greater understanding of both husband and wife and how they each played a role in their marriage’s demise. Even though I never connected with the characters, for some reason I seemed to understand them, sometimes even feel sorry for them, so that helped. I found them interesting and am grateful for that as we spend a lot of time in their heads.

I suspect knowing the ending right up front did my enjoyment in. Maybe if I didn’t know? Maybe I could have wondered throughout whether it was him or her who ended up dead. Or something? It took the guessing right out of it, although in other ways it kept me riveted, I suppose, wondering when it would happen, which encounter would seal the deal, and how it would be done. I kept reading, and at no point did I want to put the novel down which says something. There was something there for me to grab onto - I'm just having a difficult time putting my finger on what.

The exploration of their “comfortable” relationship could be uncomfortable at times with both his philandering ways and her complete acceptance of this. But, if that’s how they choose to live their lives, well, I guess that’s up to them. I try not to judge a marriage. And what works for some won’t work for others. It did bother me that she was so accepting, but I had to take it as her character, and as her past was revealed it became understandable at least. Eventually, as things unravel, we see why each act the way they do and why they accept their spouse’s behavior. 

The Silent Wife is definitely unforgettable whether you love the novel, hate it, or fall somewhere in the middle, and is probably worth the read if you love a great psychological read about marriage.

Thank you to Penguin Canada for our review copy. All opinions are our own. 

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