by A.S.A. Harrison
The Silent Wife
The Silent Wife kept me turning pages all night. But this thriller is a cut above the usual escapist fiction. Not only are the characters people I could actually identify with, but the plot develops from their own flawed actions, rather than improbable situations they somehow find themselves drawn into. Jodi is a psychologist, locked firmly in denial of the dysfunction in herself and in her “marriage.” She releases the tension of her resentment by petty acts of sabotage against Todd, her common-law husband. Todd is a master of self-justification, which allows him to continue his drinking and womanizing, convincing himself that Jodi “understands”. There comes a point, however, when Jodi is confronted with the extent of her husband’s perfidy. Yet, against all reality, they both continue in the same self-defeating behaviors. When Jodi finally takes action, it’s in the form of yet more inaction, letting others proceed on her behalf. The book raises the questions: are we doomed to repeat the patterns of our parents that we swore to avoid? Is character immutable? Can psychotherapy make a difference? Sadly, after this excellent debut, the author died while still working on her second novel.
NEW BOOK SECTION Fiction