The Flutterby Room
MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is the debut novel by Jane Corry. It tells the story of Lily Macdonald, a lawyer, who has recently come back from her honeymoon. Lily views her marriage to Ed as a chance to have a fresh start, to leave her past behind her. On her return to London Lily finds herself put on the case of a convicted murderer that claims he is innocent of all charges. The trouble is, he reminds Lily of someone whom she used to know.
MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is a novel that inspires a lot of feelings. While reading it I went from curious to know what was going to happen, to almost nervous to turn the page, to curious to know how things would end. MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is a story that lingers. Corry does a brilliant job telling the story, and I really appreciated the way she used different perspectives to tell the story. I’m not totally sure I liked the story, but I did really respect the way Corry told the story. I found the plot to be a little convoluted, as it seemed to take a while for the action to happen, but I think that was just me – MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is very much character driven, and if that is how you like your thrillers then I think you will be in for a treat with this book.
MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is a novel split into two parts; Lily and Carla, an Italian girl who lives in the same building as Lily and Ed, alternatively narrate the chapters. I thought splitting the narrative like this was a good choice by Corry. For me the ability to get to know both Lily and Carla worked well, and it allowed me to build up a better picture of what was going on in the novel. It was fascinating to see certain events from the different points of view and how that played out into the overall plot of the novel.
Although Carla narrates her own story, Lily is very much the main protagonist of MY HUSBAND’S WIFE: Lily Macdonald is the focal point of the novel, and all the events spiral out from her. I thought she was a complex character; when we first meet Lily at twenty-five, fresh back from her honeymoon in Sicily, she is young and innocent; nervous but excited to take her first criminal case. Carla meanwhile is just eleven when we first meet her who is struggling to fit in at school.
As I mentioned before, the plot of MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is quite intricate and as such it is hard to talk about it without risking spoilers. Half the joy of Corry’s novel is watching the story unfold, and guessing what is going to happen next. At its heart, MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is about Lily and Carla. Although on the surface their lives may seem very different, as the novel progresses we more about the characters and that creates some interesting contrasts.
MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is an intensely complex book. It explores the grey spaces of human nature in an interesting way. It is not what I would call an easy, ‘safe’, read. If you like your thrillers – particularly psychological and mystery based ones – then this may very well be the book for you. Corry weaves a brilliant story. The book will keep you guessing about what is going to happen next until the end. And I can honestly say that MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is one of those books that will stay with you long after you’ve put it down, whatever your feelings about the book.
Originally posted on The Flutterby Room. I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
