How to be a Good Wife - Emma Chapman

Title: How to be a Good Wife

Author: Emma Chapman

Pages: 288

Published: 2013

Challenges: I Love Libraries

Genre: Fiction, Suspense

Edition: Hardcover

Source: Library

Description: Marta and Hector have been married for a long time. Through the good and bad; through raising a son and sending him off to life after university. So long, in fact, that Marta finds it difficult to remember her life before Hector. He has always taken care of her, and she has always done everything she can to be a good wife—as advised by a dog-eared manual given to her by Hector’s aloof mother on their wedding day.

But now, something is changing. Small things seem off. A flash of movement in the corner of her eye, elapsed moments that she can’t recall. Visions of a blonde girl in the darkness that only Marta can see. Perhaps she is starting to remember—or perhaps her mind is playing tricks on her. As Marta’s visions persist and her reality grows more disjointed, it’s unclear if the danger lies in the world around her, or in Marta herself. The girl is growing more real every day, and she wants something. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:  Compared to the other book I was reading at the time, this was a fairly quick read and I was able to get this completed in a few days.

The premise was interesting, especially since the title of the book throws off the reader.  And while the title does have quite a bit to do with the storyline, in a sense it really doesn't and is sort of a play on the title.  

I found the book to be a little convuluted at times, as one wasn't really sure as to what was really going on, but in the same respect about 2/3 of the way through, the book actually got somewhat interesting and made me start to think about Marta's actual history.  What was the truth?  Was it the visions that Marta is having or is the life that she has been told for most of her adult life?  And how much can we as the reader really believe is the truth?

Honestly, if the story hadn't made this sort of switch, I probably would have put the book down and not completed it, as I was not completely enamoured with the story and felt that some of the things that Marta goes through were being repeated, but in someway it was the perfect length, as it didn't take too long to get the the premise of the story and the storyline kept at a pretty good pace throughout the book to keep my interest.

Bottom line: If you are looking for a happy book, I would probably not go near it, but if you are a fan of Gillian Flynn's book Gone Girl, I would recommend this and hope that you read it.  Overall, it was a pretty good book and something that can be read when one has a few spare moments to read, as the chapters aren't long (at most they are about 15 and probably average about 10 pages per chapter) and the storyline can be easily picked up when reading it.   That being said, I realize that it won't be everybody's cup of tea and probably would recommend it to those that are fans of thriller and suspense fiction and that enjoyed Gone Girl.

Rating: 3.25/5

Pages for 2014: 1598