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Fixed on Fiction

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

For our October meeting, Fixed on Fiction discussed The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison. Below is a summary of the novel courtesy of Goodreads,

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.

Overall, The Silent Wife was very well received by our group with six thumbs up votes and one thumbs down. Below are some of the readers’ initial responses to the novel:

  • I liked the book but hated the characters. I blamed the woman (Jodi) more than the man (Todd).
  • Just when I thought that Todd couldn’t be any worse, he was! I was so glad he was killed off. In fact, I was ready to kill him myself, but then she (Harrison) did it for me. Jodi was a defeatist. She thought there wasn’t anything she could do but she had a lot of options- break up with Todd, go to couples counseling, etc. This was excellently written.
  • Well-crafted. A really good story written in very few pages.
  • This was a smart psychological thriller. You can hate the characters but if the writing and story is good it can still be a great book. I could see this happening- I could see us reading about something similar in the newspaper. I literally couldn’t put the book down.
  • I stayed up all night reading this. I found Dean’s hit a little implausible- would he really kill his grandchild’s father? And I was screaming at Jodi the whole time to do something, but she inherited her silence from her mother.
  • Well-written. Short but well put together. This reminded me so much of a quote from Roger Ebert- “It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it.” I enjoyed the depiction of these people and the Chicago setting was a bonus. Harrison very authentically conveys the city and I liked the authenticity. Also, this novel reminded me of You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
  • I hated this book because of the scummy and disgusting characters!

On Jodi-

  • I don’t like the kept woman concept. I would rather provide for myself at a lower level of income and maintain freedom and dignity.
  • People have different standards about lifestyle and the socioeconomic status they will accept.
  • No matter who you are, when you’re too closely involved in an issue you can’t see the problems (on choosing the wrong man)
  • Jodi’s needs were not typical, but she knew what she had to do to fulfill them.
  • Jodi was very despairing but she really needed to put things into perspective. Even if the worse happens she could still support herself.
  • Jodi used denial her entire life. It was her coping mechanism- “If I don’t see it, it’s not real.”
  • In her mind, Jodi wasn’t a professional or a career woman. But Harrison doesn’t go out and say that, we infer it as readers (the example of Jodi’s unflattering nicknames for her clients was mentioned here).
  • Gerard was just beginning to get at the real issues with Jodi before she pulled away. She had the things that comforted her. She had her life sized down to what she could handle- she didn’t have a taxing life. Jodi could go through this life on automatic.

On Todd-

  • I hated how Todd had an excuse for everything. Everything had a reason so he could justify his behavior.
  • I found it telling that Todd had those terrible nightmares after Jodi received the eviction notice.
  • Had he not been killed and had he gone through with the marriage, Natasha would have never tolerated Todd’s behavior as Jodi did.
  • “I think we can safely say we wouldn’t want any of these people as friends!”

On how The Silent Wife compares to Gone Girl-

  • This was the reverse of Gone Girl because the husband was the despicable one.
  • The Silent Wife was a lot more puzzling…everything in Gone Girl was explained whereas TSW was much more subtle.
  • Gillian Flynn told us everything in Gone Girl…You had to be a smart reader and look closely while reading The Silent Wife

These are just a few notes from our discussion. Please feel free to add additional thoughts on The Silent Wife in the comments section.

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