Presenting itself as a conventional thriller with an intriguing premise, Alice Feeney’s new novel, “My Husband’s Wife,” is a labyrinth of deception, misdirection, and shocking reveals.
Eden Fox is a young artist who has just moved to the coastal village of Hope Falls, Cornwall, with her tech CEO husband, Harrison Woolf. Their new home is a grand estate called Spyglass, a house steeped in history since the 16th century.
One late October night, Eden returns from a regular nighttime jog to discover that her keys no longer fit the lock. When she knocks, the door is opened by a strange woman who looks like a version of herself who’s 10 years older, even possessing a similar voice. Most shockingly, she claims to be the “real” Eden Fox.
Eden’s nightmare deepens when Harrison comes to the door and claims he doesn’t know the woman standing on his porch. He tells Eden to get lost and slams the door in her face.
Because Eden left her ID and cellphone at home before her run, she has no way to prove her identity. As a newcomer to the village, she has no allies to turn to.
Birdy’s Diagnosis
The narrative then shifts back six months to introduce the angry, depressed, and self-loathing Olivia “Birdy” Bird. (Feeney is clearly fond of her animal-themed surnames.) Birdy is a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the “new” Eden. As she reflects on her “life of crime” and her collection of tattoos, she receives a devastating diagnosis: Tumors have been detected, and she has very little time left to live.
Shortly after, Birdy receives a second surprise. A grandmother she never knew existed has left her an old coastal home in her will: Spyglass. While surveying her new inheritance, Birdy finds a response letter from a company called Thanatos, which uses an exclusive program to predict a client’s exact date of death.
While the letter was requested by her grandmother, it curiously displays Olivia’s name alongside the predicted day of her passing.
Omission and Deceit
For those seeking a “clean” thriller, it’s worth noting that “My Husband’s Wife” includes some mildly graphic sex. Beyond that content issue, there’s an important aspect to understand about this book before you dive in: the concept of the unreliable narrator.The term refers to a first-person narrator who isn’t being fully honest with his or her version of events or who sometimes outright lies. The device certainly isn’t uncommon in the thriller genre; Gillian Flynn made heavy use of it in “Gone Girl.” However, Feeney has taken the idea much further than most.
The majority of the characters in “My Husband’s Wife” don’t necessarily lie to the reader outright; instead, they tell their stories while omitting vital, game-changing details. The advantage of filling a cast with so many deceptive people is that it allows almost every chapter to end on a shocking plot twist or reveal—another common device of contemporary popular fiction.
Who’s Who?
While “My Husband’s Wife” is an engaging journey, it’s hampered by the decision to constantly subvert expectations through deceptive and untrustworthy characters. Halfway through the book, readers may find themselves bewildered, struggling to track what’s happening, who’s actually dead, or even who is who.The Thanatos subplot, in particular, feels a bit clumsy and arguably unnecessary to the core mystery, though it does add a lingering, sinister atmosphere to the whole. Also, the final twist revealed at the very end might be considered going one step too far. This level of disorientation can certainly strain one’s patience.
In such a complex web, the payoff at the end must be significant enough to justify all this preceding confusion. By the final page, the intricate pieces do, mostly, click into place.
However, you might feel as though you’ve just finished a math exam while riding a roller coaster. You might also wonder whether the experience would’ve been more satisfying if the author had simply put you in a speeding car and driven in a straight line. You would’ve finished in the same place, with similar thrills but with far fewer headaches.
