– The Silent Wife, Chapter 1, Page 16
Title: The Silent Wife
Author: A.S.A. Harrison
Published By: Penguin Books, June 2013
Reviewed By: Jessica B.
Rating: 2/5 Stars
Disappointed is the word that comes to mind when I think about this novel. It was hard to give it a full number star rating, because I am so torn. I loved the writing style. I thought the third person perspective and switching of perspective in chapters was unique and fit really well with the story. The writing itself was beautiful, and I recorded several quotes to keep for my personal writing journal. The cover art and feel and look of the book intrigued me, as well.
However, I do not like the plot. I wanted to, and when I first started reading the book I did like it. The comparison to Gone Girl caught my attention, as I loved that book. The comparison is not one that should be made at all. This is not a psychological thriller by any means. The novel is so predictable that it becomes boring because you expect more to happen than what you predict. I kept thinking there would be a huge plot twist and I would be wrong, but I wasn’t. The ending of the book is not necessarily satisfying. Like I said, I expected a lot more from the novel and it didn’t produce.
The Silent Wife moves at a very slow pace. There’s not a ton of action or surprises, like Gone Girl. It’s almost the complete opposite. I’ve read mixed reviews on this book with a lot agreeing with me. If the back cover and reviews didn’t hype up the book to be a page turning thriller, then I might have formed a different opinion. If you don’t give the comparison to Gone Girl, then you don’t rate it compared to Gone Girl, which is what happens.
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend reading this novel. However, if you want a short, simple book to read with a nice writing style, then this might be the one for you. Also, if you don’t go into the novel thinking of Gone Girl, or psychological thriller, I think it will read a lot better. Perhaps in a year, I will read it with a different mindset and appreciate the novel for its writing.
About the Book:
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. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.
About the Author:
A. S. A. Harrison is the author of four books of nonfiction. The Silent Wife is her debut novel and she was at work on a new psychological thriller when she died in 2013. She lived with her husband, visual artist John Massey, in Toronto, Canada
Amazon Link
Goodreads Link
Advertisements Share this:
