The Younger Wife
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
April 5, 2022
Advance reader copy e-book
352
Free from publisher via NetGalley
THE HUSBAND
A heart surgeon at the top of his field, Stephen Aston is getting married again. But first he must divorce his current wife, even though she can no longer speak for herself.
THE DAUGHTERS
Tully and Rachel Aston look upon their father’s fiancée, Heather, as nothing but an interloper. Heather is younger than both of them. Clearly, she’s after their father’s money.
THE FORMER WIFE
With their mother in a precarious position, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family’s secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is.
THE YOUNGER WIFE
Heather has secrets of her own. Will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses in all of them?
My review:
Although this is being tagged as a thriller, it is so much more than that. Part of the novel takes place during a wedding. This part is being narrated by an unknown person, who is slowly revealed throughout the book. We know from the beginning that something goes completely awry at the wedding, and the rest of the story concentrates on the circumstances and characters leading up to this point. There is much to dissect in this one, issues of sexual assault, kleptomania, relationship abuse, and dementia are among the main topics. I loved the way the characters were fleshed out, and the fact that the happenings at the wedding are in the back of your mind as you explore each person and their motives in regard to each other. I changed my mind a few times over whether I thought any of these people were truly reliable narrators. I've heard some backlash over the ambiguous ending, but I really liked it! There was enough information given that I was satisfied with the resolution of the major plot points, and enough to make me think what happened was the way it should have been (that'll make sense once you read it). I thought it was fun that I went in with one attitude, and that changed as I got to know each character. This is a thriller type book, so I'm being rather vague as required by this genre, so as to not give away spoilers.
This book packs a lot of different topics into it's pages. The characters are the focal point, with the undercurrent of what happened at the wedding always prevalent throughout. Definitely worth the read, especially if you like a bit more substance from your thrillers.
