My Husband: A Novel <— Oooooh okay. This one was cool in its own, very unique way. It has that psych-thriller/domestic thriller feel the whole way through, an unreliable narrator (or is she?) and an interesting twist that I did not see coming, that made this one that much more memorable.
This one has it all (by way of domestic issues). Stalkerish obsession, toxic love, mistrust, cheating, trapping, marital strife, the works!
“My husband has no name; he is my husband, he belongs to me.”
And you know with that constant level of insecurity, things are bound to downward spiral.
So what’s it about?
A wife (seemingly happily married for over a decade) and mother, who is completely and co dependently, insecurely attached, and head-over-heels in love with her husband.
There is also nothing to appease my anguish, because my husband has already given me everything. I know that we will spend our lives together. I am the mother of his two children. I can’t hope for anything more, I can’t hope for anything better, and yet the void that I feel is immense, and I am always waiting for him to fill it. But what could possibly fill what is already full?
Mind you, obviously, to the reader, this kind of love is not a true love the way happy and flourishing couples feel, but for her, it’s a love beyond love, and she will do ANYTHING (even constantly completely changing herself) to keep her husband in love with her. To keep his attentions. And to stay married.
It drives her absolutely crazy. She knows how she is. She knows that she’s making herself miserable.
“…Now my daughter is seven, almost eight. When I read her a story, I try to choose one in which there’s no prince, no romance. I buy her books with independent heroines who defy dragons, sail warships, dig up dinosaur bones.
Choosing such a story is part of the painful responsibility I feel toward my daughter. I want to prevent her at all costs from making the same mistakes as I did.”
And you know what? At times (to my chagrin), I could totally relate to her insecurities. Remembering times when, I too, would adapt myself to what someone else wanted, keep up appearances, and bite my tongue with a perpetual pleasant demeanor. Ugh. exhausting. And unsustainable. I am soooooo much happier in my life now. Ahhhhhhh the gift of learning, of growth and acceptance, of self love and eventual true love that is open and allows each of us to be who we really are and (to me?) that’s when you’ve found your perfect match.
Er…. ooooops! But I digress.
Ugh… she’s just exhausting. And exhausted. And delusional.
“…the idea that my husband existed before meeting me is surreal, even revolting.”
While on the outside and to everyone else (especially her husband) she appears perfectly normal, calm, happy and, most of all, sane, the acrobatics she performs behind the scenes to keep everything in line and well… perfect, is enough to bring anyone to the breaking point.
“You forgot your ring last night when we came home, it was downstairs next to the keys!” my husband crows, handing me my solitaire diamond ring (a fitting name: I have never felt so alone as I have since I’ve married him).
His naiveté is unbearable. My husband is so certain of my love that even my ring placed on the entryway table does not come across as a threat to him. What world is he living in?
So no, not a romance but definitely a love story. A TOXIC love story that just gets more painfully toxic as it goes. 😉 And the more you read, the more that is uncovered about said “in love and devoted” wife, and the more the reader anticipates that very breaking point.
“Each new person who enters into our life is an additional dilution of his attention, a dilution of him, and I’m horrified by this. The energy he expends toward others hurts me: it tells me that I am not enough for him. If I close my eyes and imagine it, my greatest joy would be a life restricted to the space of our home.”
And then… TWIST!!!! Oh wow!! Will you look at that?!!! 😉 Unforgettable.
4 STARS! <— So yes please and thank you. While it wasn’t my absolute favorite of this genre, it was worth the read, the writing and main character’s introspection (while disturbing) was beautifully detailed, and the trope, definitely in line with what I’ve been craving lately. It was fun while it lasted and I’d absolutely read more from this author!
MARITAL STRIFE & OBSESSION
My Husband: The Unsettling Domestic Suspense with an Unreliable Narrator
MARITAL STRIFE & TOXIC LOVE ALERT!!! BLURB JOLT & I ONE-CLICKED IT!!! Even if the reviews are not an average high, I already HAVE to know what happens…
“…Determined to keep their relationship perfect, she meticulously prepares for every encounter they have, always taking care to make her actions seem effortless.
She watches him attentively, testing him to make sure that he still loves her just as much as he did when they first met. Until one day she realizes she may have gone too far . . .”
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