The Silent Wife: A Novel

by A. S. A. Harrison

The New York Times bestselling novel soon to be a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman, for fans of The Woman in the Window and The Silent Patient.

"I gobbled it down in one sitting." – Anne Lamott, People

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.

• ISBN10: 0143123238
• ISBN13: 9780143123231
• Publish Date: 25 June 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Penguin USA
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780143123231

Reviews

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

It seems that when Gone Girl had huge success there were plenty of novels being released that were marketed as the next big psychological thriller. One that seemed to get closer than all the others to duplicating the same style as Gone Girl was The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison. While this novel does come close to being like Gone Girl, almost to the point of suspecting plagiarism, there is something different to this novel.

The Silent Wife follows the story of Jodi and Todd who are in a bad place in their marriage. Told in the same style as Gone Girl where you get Jodi and Todd’s story in alternating chapters, the story follows the familiar plot but not really. Without giving too much away I’ll just disclose what has been mentioned on the back of the book. Todd is an unfaithful husband planning to leave Jodi for his mistress. Jodi’s life is at stake, she is about to lose her marriage and even her beautiful water front condo.

I’m going to stop comparing The Silent Wife to Gone Girl; there are similarities but it is a different novel. This novel is very much focused on Jodi more than Todd. His chapters are there to fill in the story but the readers get to watch Jodi as she slowly falls apart. This really is a look at the psychology of a woman that did everything to be the perfect wife (the silent wife that doesn’t complain or causes waves) slowly take control of her life for the first time in her life. Interestingly she is a psychologist, who should have noticed her life was as bad as it was and take control.

This would make an interesting novel for a book club, you have the psychological you can investigate, but then you have the whole concept of marriage and what makes a marriage to explore. As a reader we can see this is a bad marriage and Jodi should get out but she is blind to this fact. This is an all too common issue in the modern world and I think The Silent Wife does a good job at exploring it.

I really don’t want to say much more about this book; everything needs to be experienced by the reader. It isn’t the best novel and there are a lot of flaws but it is a quick read and won’t take much effort to read. I recommend borrowing it from the library, that way you don’t have to invest in an average book. A.S.A. Harrison had the making to be a great psychological thriller author but sadly she died soon after finishing The Silent Wife and this makes this the only novel by her. I’m sure there are plenty more psychological thrillers to be released about marriage but this had an interesting approach.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2014/06/11/the-silent-wife-by-a-s-a-harrison/

[Lianne]

I received a galley copy of this novel to read in exchange for an honest review.

The Silent Wife was an interesting read. It’s not so much a thriller but it is a psychological drama. It was eerie turning the page and watching as this marriage clinically break down from their respective perspectives (albeit the couple not fully realising it). The prose of the novel also added to the clinical feel of the story.

It was also interesting to see how Jodi and Todd react to the state of their marriage and its dissolution. They're not meant to be necessarily likeable; they have their strengths and faults as individuals. I did find myself disliking Todd despite of this because of his failure to man up to his decisions (though I also felt rather sad for him because he seemed quite stuck (for lack of a better word))). I couldn't quite figure out what to think of Jodi; I felt sorry for her but at the same time there's a void that I can't quite grapple with, which makes her rather terrifying of the two on some level.

My complete review of the title was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2013/07/01/review-the-silent-wife/

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

"a few short months are all it will take to make a killer out of her."

From the beginning we know that Jodi will kill her husband Todd. Like S.J. Watson's Before I Go To Sleep in which we are reminded to "not trust Ben" this statement looms in the back of your head. After this thought, the first two words that come to mind are Gone Girl. We have a cheating husband (who I wanted to strangle myself),a seemingly perfect wife/marriage with said seemingly perfect wife calculating her husband's demise. Although unlike Gone Girl, I found The Silent Wife to be like a silent gas leak that will slowly kill you.

Jodi Brett's significant other Todd Gilbert has had an affair with a girl half his age, his best friend's daughter, who he has gotten pregnant. The repercussions fall like Humpty Dumpty with all the king's horses and all the king's unable to to put her life back together again. She must take matters into her own hands. As they say, its always the quite ones you have to look out for. They could snap at any time.

All the characters are detestable. Which in a sense is very similar to Gone Girl. There was no one in particular I was rooting for. Todd was a sleaze, his mistress Natasha crawled under my skin and wanted to scratch her away. Jodi I suppose was the most likable but I don't think she ever fully blossomed and would not have returned her call for a lunch date. Even so, The Silent Wife held my attention.

The detestable characters yes annoying, but the one thing that irked me was Jodi's half-hearted murder attempt on Todd. After Jodi learns of Todd's infidelities she grinds eleven sleeping pills into his nightly hot chocolate. (more Ovaltine please) Ingesting that dosage plus copious amounts of alcohol would most likely do anyone in. Although, this is just me being overly realistic and if Todd was killed so early I think we'd have a much shorter story.

When Todd really did die, I thought the presentation was wonderful, as instead of having a Sopranos description, Harrison writes of one's life passing before their eyes. It was as elegant as a eulogy.

Putting aside my minuscule complaints, I really enjoyed The Silent Wife. Harrison's thriller was a very fluid, gripping read. I read The Silent Wife in 48 hours, a rare feat for me and thus must say something.

I think the message was the grass is always greener. Todd nabs his hot college age lover but when out of the bedroom he realizes what an annoying, self-absorbed person she is, (which could actually be said of Todd) and he realizes how good he had it with Jodi. Unfortunately, he is at the point of no return.

The ending was completely unexpected, doubly exhibiting that life isn't always fair, nor does it come out the way we planned it. Reading The Silent Wife was like drinking hot chocolate before it cools down scalding your tongue. I know I must indulge slowly, but I couldn't help myself and drank it up.

Note: I received an ebook via netgalley