Book: The Stranger's Wife
Author: Anna-Lou Weatherley
Pages: 288
Read on: Kindle
Read in: ~ 3-4 hours
Plot Summary:
Beth and Cath are leaving their husbands.
This is a story about two very different women.
One is wealthy and having an affair with a man who gives her the kind of love that her cold, detached husband does not.
One is living hand to mouth, suffering at the hands of a violent partner who would rather see her dead than leave him.
You may think you know these women already and how their lives will unfold.
Beth will live happily ever after with her little girl and her soulmate.
Cath will go back to her abusive husband.
And these two women will never cross paths.
But you will be wrong.
On the 3.15pm train from London to Bristol, Beth and Cath are about to meet and discover they share one shocking thing in common.
TRIGGER WARNING: This book has depictions of domestic violence and emotional abuse, control and gaslighting. If these things trigger you in any way, do not pick up this book.
Things I Liked:
1. I picked up this book because of its interesting premise. The story of two women from diametrically different socio-economic strata but going through the same pain seemed really interesting and it was! The book does a good job of establishing that abuse and control and toxic relationships can look very different but they have the same soul-crushing effect on the women in them. So, while Cath's partner- Saul- is a garden variety drug addict and wife beater, Beth's wealthy husband- Evan- is a controlling psychopath. Interesting to how these two different types of abuse and mechanisms of control exist and cause similar devastation for the women in these relationships.
2. Both Beth and Cath's stories are interesting, though the focus is more on Beth because a couple of deaths are connected to her life. The characters are well etched out and as a reader you feel both the women's pain and frustration at being in their awful situations.
3. There are a couple of twists, which are nicely done. The blurb tells us that Beth and Cath have something in common and so, you keep wondering what that could be. The reveal was, well, interesting. (Sorry, trying not to spoil the book.)
4. This book is the 3rd in the Detective Dan Riley series, but, for all intents and purposes, you can very well treat this as a stand-alone and read it. Always a good thing when books in a series, especially, crime fiction can be stand-alone. I liked Dan as a character- he is bright with good cop instincts and has great integrity. He sees what others miss and is unafraid to go after influential people.
5. The resolution was most satisfying! Always a good thing when that happens!
Things I Didn't Like:
1. This book is told from three perspectives- Beth's, Cath's and Dan's. Also, this book moves back and forth in time between present day (fall of 2019) and various points in spring-summer 2018. So, you have 2 timelines, 3 narrators, which is all a bit of a hodgepodge! Sometimes, I would just forget where we are in the story because the narrative was so muddled up. It took me a while to get used to the author's style of storytelling. But, it could've been done better!
Rating: 3.5/5
2. Both Beth and Cath's stories are interesting, though the focus is more on Beth because a couple of deaths are connected to her life. The characters are well etched out and as a reader you feel both the women's pain and frustration at being in their awful situations.
3. There are a couple of twists, which are nicely done. The blurb tells us that Beth and Cath have something in common and so, you keep wondering what that could be. The reveal was, well, interesting. (Sorry, trying not to spoil the book.)
4. This book is the 3rd in the Detective Dan Riley series, but, for all intents and purposes, you can very well treat this as a stand-alone and read it. Always a good thing when books in a series, especially, crime fiction can be stand-alone. I liked Dan as a character- he is bright with good cop instincts and has great integrity. He sees what others miss and is unafraid to go after influential people.
5. The resolution was most satisfying! Always a good thing when that happens!
Things I Didn't Like:
1. This book is told from three perspectives- Beth's, Cath's and Dan's. Also, this book moves back and forth in time between present day (fall of 2019) and various points in spring-summer 2018. So, you have 2 timelines, 3 narrators, which is all a bit of a hodgepodge! Sometimes, I would just forget where we are in the story because the narrative was so muddled up. It took me a while to get used to the author's style of storytelling. But, it could've been done better!
Rating: 3.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment