Title: THE WIVES
Expected publication: out now
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
“Fighting was the
sandpaper that smoothed out the first years of a relationship. Sure, there was
still plenty of lifelong grit after that, but the fighting stripped everything
down, let the other person know what was important to you.” (Tarryn Fisher, The Wives)
Book Description:
You’ve never met the other wives. None of you know each
other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, you can see your husband
only one day a week. But you love him so much you don’t care. Or at least
that’s what you’ve told yourself.
(This is all you need to know - best to delve in blind.)
My musings:
Do you like a crazy ride of a thriller that twists and turns
and makes you question everything you just read? Unreliable narrators that may
be lying, or crazy, or both? A premise that is so far removed from your own
life experience that you read open-mouthed, turning the pages just to find out
how this could possibly all work out? If you said yes to one or more of these
questions, then put this book on your wishlist right now!
THE WIVES was one of
the craziest page-turners I have read in a while, and I loved it. My notes
around the 50% and 75% mark read something like:” I am so confused. I have no
idea what is going on here. This is insane!”
Normally have lots of theories, but this book totally stumped me. At one
stage, daring to speculate, I shook my head with a wry laugh: “No, that would
be just too crazy!” Insert narrator’s voice here: “But she was wrong. Because
it was even crazier. A kind of crazy she could never have imagined.” Yes, I was
way off, and the conclusion took me totally by surprise.
You know how hard it is to review the premise of a mystery
that relies on surprise elements to provide a thrilling read, so I will just
give you the bare bones. The book is written from the POV of main protagonist
Thursday, a young woman in her late twenties, who shares her husband with two
other wives. And if that’s not strange enough, she has never met any of her
sister wives, nor does she know their names (she calls them Monday and Tuesday
for the days of the week her husband Seth spends with them). As you shake your
head in disbelief, I can hear you thinking: this can’t possibly end well. And
of course it doesn’t. Would you be content to live in blissful ignorance whilst
your husband, who you’re madly in love with, spends a majority of time with
other women? Exactly! Thursday is curious, and does some snooping, and finds
out a few things about hubby that worry her.
From then on follows a crazy, twisted story of a woman’s
quest to get answers. THE WIVES was one of those page-turners I could not put
down. The more weird and wonderful things Thursday uncovered, the crazier the
story got, the more I needed to know how it would all tie together.
The only reason this was not a five star read for me was the
ending, which was a bit too bizarre even for me, and I so like a twisted roller-coaster-ride
of a thriller. Perhaps it was just that I had hoped for a different outcome.
Never mind. One thing that I learned was: polygamy is not for me. Going on my
murderous thoughts towards Seth very early into the novel, I would probably end
up in jail rather than gaining favourite wife status.
Summary:
Anyway, enough said: if you like crazy, twisted and original
stories then I urge you to give this one a go. I found it highly entertaining,
evidenced by my all-night read-a-thon that gave me the biggest book hangover
the next morning. Buckle up, delve in and enjoy the ride!
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