The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

Amy  

mystery

Thursday, (it’s her name!) is one of Seth’s three wives. Her “normal” (?) life is disrupted when she finally attempts to learn about the other two wives.

The description of this (thankfully short) novel by Tarryn Fisher turned me off and I only read it because it’s a book club book. Otherwise, I’d never have cracked it open. So, right off the bat, I disliked the main character because she’s willing to share her husband. Her character proceeds to finally realize why she’s an idiot and I’m supposed to feel sorry for her? She wants to male bash when she is the one who knowingly went into a relationship where her husband has multiple wives and her life with him is relegated to two days a week?  Really? She is ludicrous, has no self-esteem, and is her own worst enemy.  She’s sad in her desperation to keep a connection with one individual despite what’s best for her. She put herself into this pathetic situation willingly. I had no sympathy for Thursday and didn’t like anything about her.

Then, in the second half, The Wives finally gets interesting when we discover she might not be the most reliable narrator and it feels like it might actually become the psychological thriller it claims to be.  But THEN,……. I can’t even describe why I dislike this novel so much because I don’t know how to do it without giving away the real point of this novel.  I didn’t like the premise and I didn’t like the author’s manipulations.  Topics are raised which deserve discussion but I can’t state them in a spoiler-free review.  Just believe me when I say that while there was an interesting segment of this novel, the story was infuriating overall.  Not boring—I just don’t appreciate being played. I usually love being surprised and for stories to take unexpected turns. But, this one was too mechanized and pointless since it doesn’t even address the underlying issues raised.  The beginning is sad and the ending is sadder. Nobody wins.  People suck--there’s your moral to the story.