My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
Published by Michael Joseph, 2019
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Sometimes, you want thought-provoking thematic depth, and sometimes, you just want a good story that sees you flying through the pages. The next time you’re in the mood for the latter, you could do a lot worse than My Lovely Wife.
This well-plotted and deliciously dark thriller isn’t a whodunnit. On the contrary, we know from the off that the unnamed protagonist and his wife have been literally getting away with murder for quite some time. As such, it’s never about who is committing these awful crimes, but why, and if and how they will get away with it. Putting us inside the mind of a serial killer not only makes us constantly question our narrator’s reliability, but it allows Downing to pose interesting questions about our own moral compasses. Though he is undoubtedly a horrible human being, he shows himself to be surprisingly remorseful at times, and genuinely caring towards his teenage children. Emerging as the lesser of two evils when held up against his wife, some may find themselves sympathising with or even rooting for him, leaving us – the reader – in a bizarre moral quandary.
I loved the way this dynamic advanced throughout the story. The more complex the characters’ web of secrets and lies became in order to cover their tracks, the more the ripple effects began to impact those closest to them – their children, their friends, and their community. Watching their disparate reactions to this, and once again asking us to consider if there is some kind of ‘scale’ of badness, was a unique and refreshing angle from which to approach a thriller.
With such a melodramatic setup – a husband and wife committing a spate of murders whilst trying to uphold their domestic obligations – there’s a slight suspension of disbelief required. The readable prose and well-placed twists keep everything moving at a great pace, however, meaning I was more than willing to submit myself to the story and enjoy it at face value. I would definitely read more from this author.
***
If you’d like to give My Lovely Wife a go, you can pick up a copy from Book Depository by clicking here. If you’ve already read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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I will consider this one as a page-turner recommendation… it sounds like an interesting change from a whodunnit.
It’s a great concept, and was certainly a pacy read 😊
I definitely like a good thriller now and then, but I was a bit hesitant about the possible melodrama of this one. I’m certainly on board with it not being a whodunnit, as I’m tired of pointless twists when an unlikely person turns out to be the murderer!
Yes, I feel the same way! It was so refreshing to know the dynamic we’re dealing with right from the off, and simply watch how things play out. There are twists, but more to add complexity to the situation, rather than pointless shocks that the reader could never possibly predict.
A little suspension of disbelief is advisable, given the extremity of the setup, but I found I was able to submit myself to it pretty easily. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to give it a go! 😊
Ooh, I’ve been wanting to read this one! I like the idea of it being more about morality than mystery. It sounds so different from typical thrillers, which is really appealing to me lately. Great review!
It definitely felt like a unique take on the genre, and perhaps that’s part of why I ended up getting on with it so well. I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it! 😊
There is something going on this summer. Maybe it’s the oppressive heat, but everyone’s reading stories about murderers, both real and imagined, right now! You guys should start a hash tag — #summerstab, or something!
And I’m just about to start The Girls by Emma Cline, which is about a teenage girl who gets drawn into a cult during a summer heatwave… You may be on to something! 😂
I keep hearing amazing things about this, I don’t know why I haven’t added it to my TBR yet (maybe because I’m turned off by books with ‘Wife’ in the title?) BUT I am certainly doing so now!
Ugh, yes. The thriller market is so oversaturated with ‘Girl’ and ‘Wife’ titles that they do tend to blend into one massive eye roll. This one wasn’t necessarily stellar Literature™️, but I thought it executed its unique concept in a very readable and interesting way.
Great review! I had so much fun reading this book and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! I must admit I had to admonish myself a lot of times for rooting for him and remind myself he’s not actually a good guy. I love it when books do that.
Thank you! Right?? It was so weird to be rooting for such a horrible person 😂
Are we bad people or just easily manipulated? Either way it doesn’t look good! 😂
😂
Ooh, this sounds creepy. And sounds like an interesting thriller with the murderer as narrator.
It’s definitely one of the more memorable thriller setups I’ve come across!
I had to add this back to my library hold list because I read a review that made me curious. I guess one thing about the book is what you mentioned, you see the characters outside of their crimes, taking care of their kids, the author makes them relatable to the readers perhaps?
Yes, the balance of the extreme and the everyday domestic was very interesting, and it’s odd to find yourself rooting for such a morally corrupt character.
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Great review!
Thank you!