When I started this project, and was already slightly behind in writing about the books I was interested in, I told myself I would stick to reflecting on the books in the order in which I read them. But about ten minutes ago, I finished a book that blew me away, and I just had to write about it immediately.
I’m on the Borders.com and BarnesandNoble.com mailing lists and get emails almost daily with coupons and book suggestions, etc. When I first saw Robert Goolrick’s book A Reliable Wife advertised I thought it sounded interesting, different from what I’ve been reading, and I put it on my “Books to Buy” list. A couple of months passed. I received over thirty books for Christmas, and with so much to read, I hadn’t bought myself a single book since October (a big deal for me!). But as my boyfriend was getting his hair cut Tuesday afternoon, I walked next door into my favorite used book store. I spent quite some time in the used books section of the store, and for once had no luck. On my way out, I noticed the new book display, with A Reliable Wife right there in front of me. I saw this as a sign (haha, I will use this to justify buying a book at any time) and spent the fifteen dollars to buy it.
I didn’t start it right away, as I was finishing The Queen’s Sorrow by Susannah Dunn–to be reported on later. But we were at my boyfriend’s mom’s house waiting for her to get off work, my boyfriend napping and me reading, when I finished The Queen’s Sorrow and decided to pass on the other book I brought with me.
The first thing I noticed about A Reliable Wife was that it caught my attention right from the start. I started reading and in what seemed like no time, I was already fifty pages into it. Most books take me quite some time to get into; usually I’m stuck on the first fifty pages for at least a day or two, maybe more. But not this book. I, sadly, had to put the book down when the time came to go out to dinner with my boyfriend and his mom (don’t get me wrong, dinner was fun; I was just so into the book, I didn’t want to put it down). I picked back up a few hours later when we got back to our apartment and read late into the night. I read all throughout yesterday, and finally finished the book tonight.
What really got to me about this book is that I found myself feeling intensely connected to the characters. I really liked Ralph Truitt and Catherine Land. But the thing is, it’s clear from page one that they are not good people and have even worse motives. The three main characters in the book become so fully developed by the end, it’s truly amazing. The depths of their lives and personalities stunned me. I can’t even get my thoughts about the book together into coherent written sentences. And not only were the characters so movingly portrayed, the plot stands out as well. The book has you questioning everyone’s motives from the start, but you never do quite expect the twists and turns that A Reliable Wife offers.
Robert Goolrick’s A Reliable Wife is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It has made my top three books, up there with The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani and Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant. I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend it.
