My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry (Spoiler Alert)

My Husband's Wife is a book that kind of jumped out at me. I was in the bookstore one day waiting for my husband, saw it on the shelf and was so intrigued that I began reading it. I only read the first seven pages or so, but it was a book that stayed in my mind. Last week I was at Target and was pleasantly surprised to find it in their book section. I was in need of a new book so I picked it up and proceeded to read it in just two days.

Image from Amazon.com

Jane Corry does an excellent job of writing a thriller that isn't too terrifying. What I mean is that the novel keeps you on the edge of your seat but does not keep you up at night afraid that what is happening in the book will happen to you. In a word, it is my kind of thriller. The novel is told by two characters, Lily and Carla. From a writing perspective I thought it was interesting because Lily's sections are written in first person, but Carla's are written in third person limited (if I am remembering my terms correctly). So as a reader I always felt more connected to Lily and her well-being. This was an interesting clue in hindsight because at the end of the novel I was definitely left hating Carla and seeing her as the villain.

My Husband's Wife is a novel that does not have one main villain though. There is Carla of course, but also the character of Joe Thomas who is in fact a murderer. Lily is the lawyer that helps him make his appeal that ultimately sets him free, only to learn later that Joe was indeed guilty. Joe becomes involved in Lily's life, much against her will, and is a part of the entire novel. There is also the character of Ed, Lily's husband. Ed is someone who starts the novel out telling lies. He is an artist with an alcohol problem and eventually he leaves Lily for Carla. There are so many things that, while they don't make him the biggest villain, do make him guilty. His eventual murder is not a surprise because the book begins by letting the reader know this happens, but the murder(ers) themselves are surprising. And then there is Lily. She, like her husband, is not the biggest villain, however she is a key part of so many events. Not only that, but she does not fulfill her moral obligation to tell the police about Joe and in some ways encourages his behavior. Throughout the novel she does many questionable things and even though she is not necessarily punished in the end, I was left feeling like she was so much more a villain than a victim.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this novel. My Husband's Wife really spoke to the philosopher in me with all of its questions of morality and what it means to be marriedthe best thriller I have read, Gone Girl still has that spot, but it was definitely up there. For those that enjoy mysteries or thrillers, especially ones that make you think, this is a book for you.
. It was also immensely interesting and kept me turning the pages until it was finished. It was not