- This review by S.Krishna’s Books tipped me over the edge – had to see what was up.
I also recommend:
- Home to Woefield by Susan Juby
- Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel
Summary from GoodReads:
Maybe it was those extra five pounds I’d gained. Maybe it was because I was about to turn the same age my mother was when I lost her. Maybe it was because after almost twenty years of marriage my husband and I seemed to be running out of things to say to each other.
But when the anonymous online study called “Marriage in the 21st Century” showed up in my inbox, I had no idea how profoundly it would change my life. It wasn’t long before I was assigned both a pseudonym (Wife 22) and a caseworker (Researcher 101).
And, just like that, I found myself answering questions.
My Review:
Okay, so if you are anything like me, you look at the title of this book and think this is a book about a man with multiple wives – 22 (at least) of them in fact. Well.. that’s not what Wife 22 is about so throw those preconceptions out the window because what I’m about to tell you will, hopefully, have you rushing to the store or library to check this book out.
Wife 22 begins as one of your typical chick-lit type stories about a man and a woman and their marriage. But what makes this one stand out from the crowd, and it is a crowd – there’s a lot of mediocre chick-lit out there folks, is the humor and intelligence displayed throughout the novel.
Alice Buckle is a modern woman – and this story is told through a variety of mediums: Facebook (status and messages), emails, acts of a play, short stories, and regular prose. There is never a dull moment and the method of communication between Alice (Wife 22) and Researcher 101 teases the curiosity until the questions being asked just don’t matter anymore because you want to read the answers. Kind of like Jeopardy – maybe…okay, so not but you get the idea.
Alice has a husband, a daughter (Zoe) and a son (Peter..er Pedro..er…, you’ll understand). She deals with things that any modern mother would deal with, worries about eating disorders, the sexuality of her son (he’s 12.. but she’s trying so hard), and how to handle that first time that her daughter comes home drunk (it’s brilliant). But behind it all she is struggling, and her struggle is so real, and her support system so incredible, that I could not help but feel pulled in and wanting to find out how it is all resolved.
This was a fun, quick read and perfect for a day at the beach, or sitting out on your porch enjoying some sunshine. It’s a book that made me feel as if my time wasn’t wasted, and I count that a win when it comes to light fiction like this.
Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!
