MY SYNOPSIS
Imagine
this: Your life could be described as perfect. You have an adorable husband who
you’ve been married to for twenty-years––very happily-married. Two kids who are
amazing at school and at home. And as if that’s not enough, there’s a
successful bakery which you manage with your husband as chief baker. Your life
has seen successful balance for over ten years and there can be no reason you
can say you are not content.
Over the
other side of the picture lies your brother-in-law and his amazing wife who
he’s also been married to for quite as long as you have been married with one
beautiful daughter to flourish their union. You could have called them
happily-married once, but lately things have gone a bit rocky in their
relationship with your brother-in-law losing his job and growing sulky every
passing day.
You see,
there’s competition between you two couples and this rivalry has existed since
the wee years of your husband. There’s rivalry over which couple is more
successful, which couple has a more stable financial backing, which couple has
the greatest kids.
For over a
year, you two couples have never met as a family to celebrate any holiday.
Beneath the smiles at the dining table there’s way too much tension that could
snap the face of a Botoxed Real Housewife.
Then one
Saturday night, a dinner is proposed by your brother-in-law. You and your
husband feel reluctant to go considering the bad blood. But you decide to just
get over it over and done with.
But
oblivious to you two, the events taking place during this dinner and after
would completely turn your life from paradise to hell. And in just one week you
would lose everything (––be prepared for it, I mean, everything!––) you’ve come
to love and call your own
That’s when Ali’s story begins and possibly ends.
MY REVIEW
Did I
freaking love this book and would be yelling at you to go bang on the glass
windows of a bookshop near you threatening if they do not have a copy they
might as well not open the shop that day? Yes, yes, I would.
(I had to
tuck myself in a corner at my faculty’s lecture theatre in order to read
hundred pages a day of this delight so no one bothers me!) What the hell is up
with this book story-line? Perfection beyond reasoning. I ah-dored it! So Girl and Husband living happily-married, Husband’s
Brother and Wife in a rut of late, there’s envy in the picture, loads of
secrets away before your life gets shattered, one Saturday night––one day of
hell. Who knew a family dinner could be so damaging? A huge star to this
story-line.── ★
(Stocked
with wheat bread and bottled water, I devoured this book in four days) The main
characters, oh, fuck me, were stunning! It’s hard to read a book focusing on
four mains who are well-developed and bear resemblance to real-life persons it
isn’t hard relating (or not) to them–––most authors can’t achieve this! You
find yourself splitting between the couples who should get more of your love or
more of your rage, or sometimes, making this distinction between the individual
characters. Ali was amazing, my favourite! You would completely revere her for
her soft exterior yet the warrior living inside of her as she struggles to get
her family, her life, her career, her emotions under control! Jo, the
brother-in-law’s wife, also my favourite! Loved for her sophistication, her
poise even in the threatening times that promise to wreck her life and
marriage. Max, Ali’s husband, you women would stab at his name declaring this
is the kind of man you would (have) want(ed) to get married to. Finn, the
brother-in-law, who would gain your hatred for most part of the novel thanks to
the level of asshole Zoe Miller portrayed him to be. Unbelievable main
characters. A star to all four.── ★★
(At one point
I was nodding, at a point I was nodding too much, at another point I just had
to close this book, close my eyes for some seconds and wonder why everything
was just so right) Isn’t it amazing when you read women’s fiction that talks
about issues that are timeless? Infidelity, sibling-rivalry! I have never read
a book that portrays infidelity the way Ms. Miller does it in this title. Do
not roll your eyes, this isn’t another book where the main character’s life
shatters after finding her husband in bed with a woman with boobs as ginormous
as size ten feet (where the hell do I get
my comparisons from??) . It goes to show there’s more to infidelity than
authors can go on and on yapping about. And you have never read a book with
sibling-rivalry leading to couple-rivalry that is this amazing! Star, star,
star!── ★★★
The other
characters in this book, were marvellous! From Debbie, the woman from Max's
childhood Ali has been threatened of for ages. Jessica, Ali’s daughter keeping
secrets of her own, far from the perfect daughter everyone assumes she is. Tom,
Ali’s young son who’s the coolest boy you could ever have for a son. Grace, Jo
and Finn’s daughter, having a background that would shock the reader.── ★★★★
(At a point
in this book, I couldn’t stand it anymore, “Bread, bread! I need more bread!”)
The suspense in this book was gripping. Very, very gripping I sat in different
positions in the not-so-comfy chairs in the auditorium. Wondering how one
writer could break all the rules of Women’s fiction and provide something
totally different from the norm! If I had succumbed to the suspense brought
about as a result of the writing technique (current day→flashback→current day)
I would have keeled over before I even thought of writing this review. Talking
of the beautiful writing, should I say this book was set in moments that took
and shook the world (World Cups, 9/11) giving this book more girth and making
it all so relatable and real to the reader? Marvellous.── ★★★★★
Oh, and the
romance… J── ★★★★★
So it’s
obvious this book gets a… frigging… six over five stars!! (6/5)
I would
never put Zoe Miller as one of my favourite writers, because she’d forever be
the woman who changed my perception of women’s fiction and threw away all the
rules to pen this masterpiece. (I am very British––a strict fan of
conventions).
A Husband’s
Confession is available on amazon. If you miss it I’d have to club you.
I recommend
this book to anyone who loves writers who break all the rules yet emerge very
successful, anyone who wants a title about infidelity portrayed so differently
it boggles the mind, anyone who wants to be reaching for the Kleenex to wipe
away the sweat from their foreheads.
This might be the best book I ever read this year!
My work not
done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads!
