The jacket description of The Wife Between us reads:
"When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing."
I think that description says about all one can safely say about this book without giving away too much. I know that all I had assumed in Part One of the book got smacked down hard in Part Two. I even went back and read some of Part One again to try and clear up the confusion I was feeling. It didn't help. I had to keep on plunging deeper and deeper into the second part to find my way out. Lights do finally begin to brighten, and Nellie's relationship with Richard and others starts to make sense. It's not going to spoil the story to state that Richard, the husband at the center of all the turmoil, is a control freak and things are spinning out of control. Nellie's past is a beast that has haunted her for years, and secrets will be spilled, more secrets than even Nellie is aware of. Richard will do anything to obtain his happy-ever-after, but Nellie is slowly putting pieces together that are leading to a horrific awakening.
The twists and turns of this novel are part of its buzz and part of its success. You just have to keep reading to see what's around the next corner. And, just when you think the denouement is taking its bow, there's another lovely little twist to enjoy. The authors employed another twist, a different sort of unreliable narrator, the surprise narrator. It was rather like having a blindfold on trying to pin the tail on the donkey, and when you raised the cloth from over your eyes, you were indeed surprised. You assume you know where you're going, but as the book description warns, you will be wrong.
"When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing."
I think that description says about all one can safely say about this book without giving away too much. I know that all I had assumed in Part One of the book got smacked down hard in Part Two. I even went back and read some of Part One again to try and clear up the confusion I was feeling. It didn't help. I had to keep on plunging deeper and deeper into the second part to find my way out. Lights do finally begin to brighten, and Nellie's relationship with Richard and others starts to make sense. It's not going to spoil the story to state that Richard, the husband at the center of all the turmoil, is a control freak and things are spinning out of control. Nellie's past is a beast that has haunted her for years, and secrets will be spilled, more secrets than even Nellie is aware of. Richard will do anything to obtain his happy-ever-after, but Nellie is slowly putting pieces together that are leading to a horrific awakening.
The twists and turns of this novel are part of its buzz and part of its success. You just have to keep reading to see what's around the next corner. And, just when you think the denouement is taking its bow, there's another lovely little twist to enjoy. The authors employed another twist, a different sort of unreliable narrator, the surprise narrator. It was rather like having a blindfold on trying to pin the tail on the donkey, and when you raised the cloth from over your eyes, you were indeed surprised. You assume you know where you're going, but as the book description warns, you will be wrong.
Yay!!! I can't wait to check this one out!! Awesome review!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Erica! I'm so glad that I finally read this one. It was a great read!
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