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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
Published:
Jan 2018, 352 pages
Book Reviewed by:
Kim Kovacs
A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.
When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife.
You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement – a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love.
You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle.
Assume nothing.
Twisted and deliciously chilling, The Wife Between Us exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage - and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.
Read between the lies.
CHAPTER
ONE
NELLIE COULDN'T SAY what woke her. But when she opened her eyes, a woman wearing her white, lacy wedding gown stood by the foot of her bed, looking down at her.
Nellie's throat closed around a scream, and she lunged for the baseball bat leaning against her nightstand. Then her vision adjusted to the grainy dawn light and the pounding of her heart softened.
She let out a tight laugh as she realized she was safe. The illusion was merely her wedding dress, ensconced in plastic, hanging on the back of her closet door, where she'd placed it yesterday after picking it up from the bridal shop. The bodice and full skirt were stuffed with crumpled tissue to maintain the shape. Nellie collapsed back onto her pillow. When her breathing steadied, she checked the blocky blue numbers on her nightstand clock. Too early, again.
She stretched her arms overhead and reached with her left hand to turn off the alarm before it could blare, the diamond engagement ...
Fans of Paula Hawkins' The Girl On the Train and Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl will recognize these authors' devices in The Wife Between Us. Like the former book, this novel is narrated by a woman in crisis who is undeniably an alcoholic, and like the latter, there are unexpected plot twists that change the reader's perception of what's actually going on. However, it felt as if they were overtly copying others' styles and consequently, the plot comes across as somewhat contrived.
(Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).
Full Review
(564 words).
Anita Shreve, New York Times bestselling author of The Stars are Fire
Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of The Kept Woman
Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew
Lauren Weisberger, New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Wears Prada
At one point in The Wife Between Us, the main character claims to have experienced Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. She states, "It's when you become aware of something—the name of an obscure band, say, or a new type of pasta—and it seems to suddenly appear everywhere."
The phenomenon (pronounced badder-mainhoff) is also known as a "frequency illusion," and was first speculated about in 1995 by a commentator on the St. Paul's Pioneer Press online discussion board. He'd heard reference to a left-wing German terrorist organization that had been active in the 1970s twice in one day, and wondered how he could suddenly become aware of something so obscure.
The phenomenon even has a dedicated Facebook page. Stanford professor Arnold...
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