The Wife by Shalini Boland | Book Review

Zoe fainted on her wedding day, and she never knew why. She’s always felt sure something bad happened. Ten years later, she’s going to find out what…

It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Zoe was sitting in her hotel room, in her perfect white dress, looking forward to the moment when she would make kind, handsome Toby her husband.

Then, there was a blank.

They said she must have fainted, overcome with emotion. But nothing felt quite right afterward. Did something happen in that missing time?

Now, Toby and Zoe have two beautiful children and a perfect life. They’re planning their ten-year anniversary party for their family and friends. The invitations have been sent, the food ordered. They’re going back to the grand hotel where they got married.

But as the anniversary gets closer, it becomes clear not everyone is looking forward to celebrating. She catches Toby lying about where he’s been. One of her best friends seems to be ignoring her. And someone is spreading stories that might stop the party from happening at all.

Zoe is increasingly sure that she doesn’t have the full story. But does she want to know the truth, if it will destroy everything?

From the million-copy bestselling author, this totally gripping psychological thriller will have you hooked from the first page to the last jaw-dropping twist. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us.

The Wife was typical of the genre.  It was set up with an ambiguous event that would implicate the characters and future events.  We were given loaded dialogue, a perfect husband and family but something missing, there’s always something missing.  The prologue sets the tone; apparently everyone knows that the events don’t add up, but the protagonist, Zoe, is just living in blissful ignorance.  I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the last Shalini novel I read, but that’s not to say this isn’t a good book, I did want to race through the chapters but, the believability was niggling in the back of my mind. 

The Wife examines the fragile thing being the memory.  Now this is where it starts to get a little sketchy for me.  Is it likely for a person to forget all memories from before a knock to the head?  Yes, Zoe was knocked out for several minutes and was fuzzy for most of the day afterwards.  Is it though, in all the realms of possibility, is it realistic that someone could lose all memory for ten years?  I did some research and although it is possible, it would be assumed that some would come back in drips and drops.

Also, I felt it was extremely convenient that the memory of the morning of her wedding came back when some revelations come to the fore.  It was backed up by having her ten-year anniversary at the same hotel that they got married in.  I’m not a massive skeptic but I was feeling very skeptical at this point.  However, it wasn’t a completely negative reading experience, the writing style is one that I enjoy very much, and the narrative did impel me to keep reading.  It had the just one more chapter feel, and I did finish the book very quickly.

The Wife did bring moments of shock but there were heartwarming moments too.  Zoe’s relationship with her dad was always strained from when her mother died and her sister eventually going AWOL.  He’s a man that has struggled with his own grief and didn’t know really how to reach out to the daughters that needed him.  He came through in the end and it was wonderful to see him blossom into a caring father and doting grandparent.  The author injected just enough detail to make the reader feel apart of the picture.

Like I said, I did enjoy this one but some of her other novels were better – I highly recommend The Other Daughter over this one.  This was good, it just could have been better.  There were too many glaringly obvious plot holes.    

ABOUT SHALINI BOLAND

Books and music are my passion and I’ve always been a writer in some shape or form. Before children, I was signed to Universal Music as a singer/songwriter. But that all seems like several lifetimes ago.
Now I combine motherhood with writing fiction. I write the kinds of books I love to read – suspenseful thrillers and gripping adventures.

I also get stupidly over-excited when people leave comments on my blog, so please feel free to say what’s on your mind.
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