I need some recommendations for some good thriller novels! I love thrillers generally, but it seems most of them recently have been pretty lame! Where is the next Gone Girl, or The Girl on the Train?
I hesitated on this review for the longest time, because the author A.S.A Harrison died just before the publication of this novel. And it seems horrible to say I didn’t enjoy something that she put out just before she died.
Still, I want to be honest and say while this wasn’t a bad book generally, it didn’t work that well for me.
About the Book
Todd and Jodi are in a long-term common-law marriage. He’s a serial cheater; she turns a blind eye to his peccadilloes.
Unfortunately, their lives get blown up when his latest girlfriend becomes pregnant. Things turn nasty when Todd cancels Jodi’s credit cards and tries to evict her from their shared home.
My Review
First, I think the many media comparisons to Gone Girl are wrong. Yes, there are a few similarities. There’s a toxic relationship, he said, she said style of narration, and unlikable characters, but to me, this is where the similarities end. I thought Gone Girl was a smart and caustic commentary on dating and marriage; The Silent Wife didn’t bring anything that new to the table.
I found the writing in The Silent Wife very dreamy, slightly detached, and very internal – similar to if Mrs. Dalloway was plotting a murder (bad comparison, I know :D, but that’s how this book made me feel).
It was also a very straightforward story – not too many twists, but very interesting psychologically. It was interesting to see how these people reacted when things did not go exactly as they wanted.
I also found myself empathizing a lot with Jodi. Although she was frequently frustrating, I also thought she had a lot of insight into her situation (inevitable, considering she is a shrink).
She never saw the point in fighting with a man who was not going to reform. Acceptance is supposed to be a good thing—Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Also compromise, as every couples therapist will tell you. But the cost was high—the damping of expectation, the dwindling of spirit, the resignation that comes to replace enthusiasm, the cynicism that supplants hope. The moldering that goes unnoticed and unchecked.
So, yes, the writing was insightful and very interesting. However, for a thriller, the pacing was glacial. From the beginning, the reader knows most of what will come. I feel this book was wrongly marketed as a thriller. I mean, I get it – the marketing probably made this book a bestseller. But it is not a thriller in any sense of the word.
The ending was interesting, leaving a little doubt in the reader’s mind about what exactly went down. But it was too little too late.
I might have enjoyed this book more if I had a more accurate representation of the type of book it would be.
Have you read this book? Did you like it? And also, please, please come to me with some good thriller recommendations!
I didn’t realize the author passed away! I have not read this – sorry it wasn’t your most favorite. I do love mysteries and thrillers. I liked Gone Girl – I just love the author, but my favorite by her is still Dark Places. I didn’t really care for Girl on the Train – found it a bit too obvious.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
My favorite Flynn book is Sharp objects. Loved the book and the mini-series! I wish she’d write more