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How To Be a Good Wife
I know what my husband would say: that I have too much time on my hands; that I need to keep myself busy. That I need to take my medication. Empty nest syndrome, he tells his friends at the pub, his mother. He's always said I have a vivid imagination. Marta and Hector have been married for a long time – so long that she finds it difficult to remember her life before him. He has always taken care of her, and she has always done everything she can to be a good wife. But when Hector comes home with a secret, their ordered domestic life begins to unravel, and Marta begins to see things, or perhaps to remember them. In the shadows there is a blonde girl that only Marta can see. And she wants something...
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
329 people are currently reading
9242 people want to read
About the author
Emma Chapman
2 books142 followersEmma Chapman was born in 1985 and grew up in Manchester. She studied English Literature at Edinburgh University, followed by a Masters in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. After university, she travelled in Scandinavia, and she currently lives in Perth, Western Australia. How To Be A Good Wife is Emma's first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,190 reviews
December 30, 2017
A haunting read. I wonder what it tells about our society that we find such stuff titillating but not altogether unbelievable. Nothing flattering, I'm sure.
As for the double entendre ending, I don't think it's all that double. This quote (full spoiler alert!) is rather telling: A nicely tucked in the text easter egg for knitpickers like myself. Nicely done!
Atmospheric:
Q:
When I tried to think back to meeting Hector, there was nothing there, like trying to see past a thick curtain. I remembered the words he had told me.
‘We met on holiday by the sea,’ I said. ‘I was swimming, and Hector saved me from drowning.’
As I said it, I could see the water spreading heavily towards the horizon, and feel the weight of it around my nose, in my ears and throat.
(c)
Q:
Hector says I could never take one of his classes, that my brain doesn’t work the same way as his. I’m not logical; I can’t see things as they really are. He says a lot of women are like me: unable to see the wood for the trees. I have other strengths, he says, though he never tells me what they are.
(c)
Q:
After a few songs have passed, I hear myself singing along softly. The tune isn’t one I recognize, but the words keep coming, filling the car. After a while, I put my hand to my mouth. It is closed. The voice keeps singing.
(c)
Q:
In the kitchen, I open the fridge door: the mix of colours and the tight squeeze of everything inside make me feel warm. I couldn’t fit anything else in if I tried, but I still like to go to the market at one o’clock every day. It is a habit I can’t seem to break.
(c)
Q:
We have always told people we met on that trip, but we had met before, when I was ill and Hector had taken care of me. We thought it would be best not to tell people about that: it only made them ask questions about the past. Hector didn’t want me to be embarrassed, or to have to talk about my parents: he knew it upset me.
(c)
Q:
I rest my head against the wall, my eyes burning. I know I can’t let myself think about that: it’s somewhere I am not allowed to go.
(c)
As for the double entendre ending, I don't think it's all that double. This quote (full spoiler alert!) is rather telling: A nicely tucked in the text easter egg for knitpickers like myself. Nicely done!
Atmospheric:
Q:
When I tried to think back to meeting Hector, there was nothing there, like trying to see past a thick curtain. I remembered the words he had told me.
‘We met on holiday by the sea,’ I said. ‘I was swimming, and Hector saved me from drowning.’
As I said it, I could see the water spreading heavily towards the horizon, and feel the weight of it around my nose, in my ears and throat.
(c)
Q:
Hector says I could never take one of his classes, that my brain doesn’t work the same way as his. I’m not logical; I can’t see things as they really are. He says a lot of women are like me: unable to see the wood for the trees. I have other strengths, he says, though he never tells me what they are.
(c)
Q:
After a few songs have passed, I hear myself singing along softly. The tune isn’t one I recognize, but the words keep coming, filling the car. After a while, I put my hand to my mouth. It is closed. The voice keeps singing.
(c)
Q:
In the kitchen, I open the fridge door: the mix of colours and the tight squeeze of everything inside make me feel warm. I couldn’t fit anything else in if I tried, but I still like to go to the market at one o’clock every day. It is a habit I can’t seem to break.
(c)
Q:
We have always told people we met on that trip, but we had met before, when I was ill and Hector had taken care of me. We thought it would be best not to tell people about that: it only made them ask questions about the past. Hector didn’t want me to be embarrassed, or to have to talk about my parents: he knew it upset me.
(c)
Q:
I rest my head against the wall, my eyes burning. I know I can’t let myself think about that: it’s somewhere I am not allowed to go.
(c)
May 3, 2018
Man!! Iust re-read this psychological puzzler for book club. If you liked The Vegetarian, Eileen, or My Name Is Lucy Barton, then this is a dark, slippery story I think you'll appreciate.
How To Be a Good Wife is one of the most intriguing 'unreliable narrator' tales I've ever read. Please - do not let the title lead you to think this is chick lit! The title's significance will become clear as you read.
I clawed through this amazing psychological thriller in one day my first time through, and on my second foray bumped into hints and foreshadowing I had missed during my initial read. Those tidbits, just on page 2, made my appreciation for the 20-something-year-old debut author Emma Chapman sky rocket. Excellent, dark, and addictive. Lucy Barton could be this narrator's more sane American cousin.
"As I scrub at the panel, an image forms like a developing photograph. Hector nervous, standing over me, telling me I have missed a spot, to hurry up, to make sure the house is perfect before his mother arrives.
Before we were married, she used to visit on a Sunday to clean the house and cook Hector’s dinners for the week ahead, kept in Tupperware containers in the fridge. The first time I met her, Hector had insisted that we clean the house from top to bottom, and though it seemed pointless to me if she was to do it all over again, I did as he asked. Everything needed to be perfect, he repeated, she would notice the slightest mark. It was only later, his mother tutting under her breath as she corrected my work while Hector stood with his fists clenched, that I saw he had involved me in a lifelong battle between them."
Set in an unnamed Scandinavian country (I'll name it! Norway) , the housewife of an academic and mother to a grown son starts to falter a bit. It could be because she has now been an empty-nester for awhile. For as long as she can remember, this woman has tried her very best to follow the guidelines set out in a book entitled "How to Be a Good Wife." The dated little book was a wedding gift from her cold, controlling mother in law, and while its instructions might offend you or me, it is perfect for our main character. Because, you see, she is feeling a little bit off. Again.
She cannot remember certain things. I do not mean where she left her car keys or whether she needs eggs from the store. For some bizarre reason, she has little to no memory of her distant past - the time before she became married, she can barely remember at all. Odd. But then again, she has stopped taking her medicine, and that could explain why she thinks she spies a stranger in her house - filthy and dressed in ill fitting attire, but sometimes clean and tidy. She is afraid to tell her husband of 25 years as he will likely wonder about her mental health.
If you're a fan of Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train, then this will likely be a novel you'll enjoy. But it takes PATIENCE to get through - there is a slow, slow build up. Some people want to get to the action pronto, but this character-study makes us wait, a little painfully so. On my second reading of this psychological tale, I reveled in the uncomfortable crescendo because I knew about its pay off.
As in these other books mentioned, the motivations of one or more of the primary characters are called into question, and the author puts out seemingly conflicting information. This duality makes for an outstanding book club debate and will have you digging back through the pages looking for evidence to support your position.
One thing is important with this book - it must be finished. About 2/3 of the way through, you might be..."okay, this woman obviously has psychological issues - enough!" and begin to tire of her embarrassing outbursts. Keep going! Later chapters reveal more and more. Like the movie, "The Sixth Sense," there are certain things that do not click until nearly the end.
This is a terrific book for group discussion because the specific "facts" of the story line are not spelled out. A very clever suspense story. Loved it and so did my husband! Five stars and on my Favorites shelf.
NOTE: to those who have finished the book, there is a fun interactive website for it that puts up evidence for both perspectives and lets readers write in their takes on the book.
https://howtobeagoodwifebook.com/
How To Be a Good Wife is one of the most intriguing 'unreliable narrator' tales I've ever read. Please - do not let the title lead you to think this is chick lit! The title's significance will become clear as you read.
I clawed through this amazing psychological thriller in one day my first time through, and on my second foray bumped into hints and foreshadowing I had missed during my initial read. Those tidbits, just on page 2, made my appreciation for the 20-something-year-old debut author Emma Chapman sky rocket. Excellent, dark, and addictive. Lucy Barton could be this narrator's more sane American cousin.
"As I scrub at the panel, an image forms like a developing photograph. Hector nervous, standing over me, telling me I have missed a spot, to hurry up, to make sure the house is perfect before his mother arrives.
Before we were married, she used to visit on a Sunday to clean the house and cook Hector’s dinners for the week ahead, kept in Tupperware containers in the fridge. The first time I met her, Hector had insisted that we clean the house from top to bottom, and though it seemed pointless to me if she was to do it all over again, I did as he asked. Everything needed to be perfect, he repeated, she would notice the slightest mark. It was only later, his mother tutting under her breath as she corrected my work while Hector stood with his fists clenched, that I saw he had involved me in a lifelong battle between them."
Set in an unnamed Scandinavian country (I'll name it! Norway) , the housewife of an academic and mother to a grown son starts to falter a bit. It could be because she has now been an empty-nester for awhile. For as long as she can remember, this woman has tried her very best to follow the guidelines set out in a book entitled "How to Be a Good Wife." The dated little book was a wedding gift from her cold, controlling mother in law, and while its instructions might offend you or me, it is perfect for our main character. Because, you see, she is feeling a little bit off. Again.
She cannot remember certain things. I do not mean where she left her car keys or whether she needs eggs from the store. For some bizarre reason, she has little to no memory of her distant past - the time before she became married, she can barely remember at all. Odd. But then again, she has stopped taking her medicine, and that could explain why she thinks she spies a stranger in her house - filthy and dressed in ill fitting attire, but sometimes clean and tidy. She is afraid to tell her husband of 25 years as he will likely wonder about her mental health.
If you're a fan of Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train, then this will likely be a novel you'll enjoy. But it takes PATIENCE to get through - there is a slow, slow build up. Some people want to get to the action pronto, but this character-study makes us wait, a little painfully so. On my second reading of this psychological tale, I reveled in the uncomfortable crescendo because I knew about its pay off.
As in these other books mentioned, the motivations of one or more of the primary characters are called into question, and the author puts out seemingly conflicting information. This duality makes for an outstanding book club debate and will have you digging back through the pages looking for evidence to support your position.
One thing is important with this book - it must be finished. About 2/3 of the way through, you might be..."okay, this woman obviously has psychological issues - enough!" and begin to tire of her embarrassing outbursts. Keep going! Later chapters reveal more and more. Like the movie, "The Sixth Sense," there are certain things that do not click until nearly the end.
This is a terrific book for group discussion because the specific "facts" of the story line are not spelled out. A very clever suspense story. Loved it and so did my husband! Five stars and on my Favorites shelf.
NOTE: to those who have finished the book, there is a fun interactive website for it that puts up evidence for both perspectives and lets readers write in their takes on the book.
https://howtobeagoodwifebook.com/
May 3, 2018
He said vs She said
Meet Marta. She's a bit odd. In 25 years, she's never left her tiny village. She collects dolls. She's borderline obsessed with her only child, Kylan, who is starting his life as a young adult. She has decided to stop taking her pills, because she "wanted something to happen".
Meet Hector. He's a few decades older than his wife Marta. He 'saved her' 25 years ago when he found her on his doorstep, malnourished, devastated at the loss of her parents. A respected teacher who prides himself on his close relationship with his students, he's unaware Marta has stopped taking her meds.
Now that you've met them, your job as a reader is to decide who do you believe? Marta certainly gets her wish: weird shit starts happening. She quickly morphs into a textbook example of the 'unreliable narrator'. But is she, really?
Don't be put off by the title. There's nothing pulpy or chick-lit about this book. It's a slow burning psychological thriller that will keep you guessing all the way through, and even after. This was a compulsive read for me, providing a welcome change of pace from the last book I read.
The writing is spare to the point of slightly repetitive. The food ALWAYS "steams", and Kylan's hair is ALWAYS "sandy". This grated on me slightly but other than that, the functional prose somehow suits the Norwegian setting and Marta's narrative.
Depending on whose side you're on (because, let me be clear, you must pick a side), this book could be about infidelity, spousal abuse, the very darkest basement level of marriage. Or it can be about mental illness. The ambiguity charges the reader to think, analyse, and search for clues hidden in the book's pages.
The ending disappointed me a little, but after I thought about it, it was the perfect minor key for this paranoid stormcloud to end on. Emma Chapman knocked it out of the park in this, her debut novel (ack, she's still in her 20's, you say? damn.).
3.75 stars
Meet Marta. She's a bit odd. In 25 years, she's never left her tiny village. She collects dolls. She's borderline obsessed with her only child, Kylan, who is starting his life as a young adult. She has decided to stop taking her pills, because she "wanted something to happen".
Meet Hector. He's a few decades older than his wife Marta. He 'saved her' 25 years ago when he found her on his doorstep, malnourished, devastated at the loss of her parents. A respected teacher who prides himself on his close relationship with his students, he's unaware Marta has stopped taking her meds.
Now that you've met them, your job as a reader is to decide who do you believe? Marta certainly gets her wish: weird shit starts happening. She quickly morphs into a textbook example of the 'unreliable narrator'. But is she, really?
Don't be put off by the title. There's nothing pulpy or chick-lit about this book. It's a slow burning psychological thriller that will keep you guessing all the way through, and even after. This was a compulsive read for me, providing a welcome change of pace from the last book I read.
The writing is spare to the point of slightly repetitive. The food ALWAYS "steams", and Kylan's hair is ALWAYS "sandy". This grated on me slightly but other than that, the functional prose somehow suits the Norwegian setting and Marta's narrative.
Depending on whose side you're on (because, let me be clear, you must pick a side), this book could be about infidelity, spousal abuse, the very darkest basement level of marriage. Or it can be about mental illness. The ambiguity charges the reader to think, analyse, and search for clues hidden in the book's pages.
The ending disappointed me a little, but after I thought about it, it was the perfect minor key for this paranoid stormcloud to end on. Emma Chapman knocked it out of the park in this, her debut novel (ack, she's still in her 20's, you say? damn.).
3.75 stars
November 6, 2013
HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE:
Make your home a place of peace and order.
Your husband belongs in the outside world. The house is your domain, and your responsibility.
Let your husband take care of the correspondence and finances of the household. Make it your job to be pretty and gay.
Hmmmmm I didn't go by any of these rules when I was married...maybe that is why I have an EX-husband -who I like to call- "Those we don't speak of".
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...Oh yes... now about this book...
This was one of the most frustrating books that I have read in awhile, but that is not always a bad thing. In this case it meant that I grew very attached, very quickly, to the main character- Marta. I was on her side all the way through the book, and never once second guessed that her beliefs towards the end of her story were fact.
Marta is married to Hector. She stays at home obsessively cleaning, cooking, and ensuring the house is kept the way Hector demands it. She has lived by the rules of the book- HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE- that her mother-in-law gave her as a wedding gift. Lately since she has stopped taking her medication, she is questioning those rules, her life, and everything Hector has told her about her past.
This is a haunting book. I really didn't enjoy reading it...but I dislike using spoilers - so I don't want to say too much about it. It was definitely worth the read, but I wish it had ended differently for her. I felt that Marta deserved a better kind of closure, but I completely understand why the author chose this ending.
I received a copy of this book from first reads.
Make your home a place of peace and order.
Your husband belongs in the outside world. The house is your domain, and your responsibility.
Let your husband take care of the correspondence and finances of the household. Make it your job to be pretty and gay.
Hmmmmm I didn't go by any of these rules when I was married...maybe that is why I have an EX-husband -who I like to call- "Those we don't speak of".
...Oh yes... now about this book...
This was one of the most frustrating books that I have read in awhile, but that is not always a bad thing. In this case it meant that I grew very attached, very quickly, to the main character- Marta. I was on her side all the way through the book, and never once second guessed that her beliefs towards the end of her story were fact.
Marta is married to Hector. She stays at home obsessively cleaning, cooking, and ensuring the house is kept the way Hector demands it. She has lived by the rules of the book- HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE- that her mother-in-law gave her as a wedding gift. Lately since she has stopped taking her medication, she is questioning those rules, her life, and everything Hector has told her about her past.
This is a haunting book. I really didn't enjoy reading it...but I dislike using spoilers - so I don't want to say too much about it. It was definitely worth the read, but I wish it had ended differently for her. I felt that Marta deserved a better kind of closure, but I completely understand why the author chose this ending.
I received a copy of this book from first reads.
July 9, 2015
In an unspecific Scandinavian setting, a woman called Marta is beginning to remember strange things. The book opens with her realising - with some surprise at herself - that she is a smoker. As the story progresses, she starts to be haunted by increasingly strong and bizarre visions of a young girl, who seems to be trying to tell her something. Marta is revealed to have a certain set of beliefs about her life: her parents died in an accident when she was a teenager, and she was found in a state of confusion and physical weakness by Hector, a teacher twenty years her senior. When she recovered, they married, and she has lived with Hector ever since - a restricted existence in which she never ventures beyond the limits of the local village, and lives according to the rules set out in How To Be a Good Wife, an old-fashioned book given to her by Hector's domineering mother. She has also spent most of her life unquestioningly taking pills which Hector gives her every day, and it is her decision to stop taking the medication that results in the visions - or memories - starting to appear.
This is a cold, cold book. Marta's home (and, it seems, her marriage) is cold and devoid of colour or emotion: so is the world that surrounds her, and so is the dialogue. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, I was quickly drawn in to Marta's frustration, her feelings of helplessness and lack of control. Because she has had such a rigidly controlled life, Marta thinks like a child, making it difficult for her to outwit Hector or make any effort to escape. I did find it hard not to get frustrated that Marta didn't try to get away or get some external help earlier than she did, and that, for example, .
I was caught off-guard by the ending, which is sadder and braver than I expected it to be. I was disappointed because the resolution that I expected was never provided, but also pleased, because the author didn't take the obvious route. The narrative is deliberately vague and very cleverly written - it's natural for the reader to want to sympathise with Marta, as the story is written from her point of view, but it is also easy to see how irrational her behaviour would seem to an outsider. And because what really happened in the beginning is never made clear, it's left to the reader to make up his or her own mind about whether Marta is mad or the victim of a terrible conspiracy. This ends up making the book seem more enigmatic and elegant, but I wonder if it's actually a bit deceptive: by refusing to reveal the truth, the author has avoided having to write a conclusion that would have inevitably cheapened the story no matter what form it took.
How To Be a Good Wife will probably appeal to fans of psychological thrillers along the lines of Before I Go To Sleep: I felt there was a significant similarity between the two books, although Good Wife is more elegantly written and subtle. I'm actually quite surprised that I haven't heard more people talking about this book - I wonder if the momentum will pick up when it's published in paperback. It's chilling and has a very intriguing premise, but it's short and light enough to be an easy read, and could be finished in one sitting (indeed, you'll probably want to in order to escape the suffocating atmosphere of Marta's limited world). I've found it difficult to figure out whether my overall response to it is one of frustration or admiration. Not a favourite, but I was impressed by its restraint, and I can imagine it becoming a big seller.
This is a cold, cold book. Marta's home (and, it seems, her marriage) is cold and devoid of colour or emotion: so is the world that surrounds her, and so is the dialogue. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, I was quickly drawn in to Marta's frustration, her feelings of helplessness and lack of control. Because she has had such a rigidly controlled life, Marta thinks like a child, making it difficult for her to outwit Hector or make any effort to escape. I did find it hard not to get frustrated that Marta didn't try to get away or get some external help earlier than she did, and that, for example, .
I was caught off-guard by the ending, which is sadder and braver than I expected it to be. I was disappointed because the resolution that I expected was never provided, but also pleased, because the author didn't take the obvious route. The narrative is deliberately vague and very cleverly written - it's natural for the reader to want to sympathise with Marta, as the story is written from her point of view, but it is also easy to see how irrational her behaviour would seem to an outsider. And because what really happened in the beginning is never made clear, it's left to the reader to make up his or her own mind about whether Marta is mad or the victim of a terrible conspiracy. This ends up making the book seem more enigmatic and elegant, but I wonder if it's actually a bit deceptive: by refusing to reveal the truth, the author has avoided having to write a conclusion that would have inevitably cheapened the story no matter what form it took.
How To Be a Good Wife will probably appeal to fans of psychological thrillers along the lines of Before I Go To Sleep: I felt there was a significant similarity between the two books, although Good Wife is more elegantly written and subtle. I'm actually quite surprised that I haven't heard more people talking about this book - I wonder if the momentum will pick up when it's published in paperback. It's chilling and has a very intriguing premise, but it's short and light enough to be an easy read, and could be finished in one sitting (indeed, you'll probably want to in order to escape the suffocating atmosphere of Marta's limited world). I've found it difficult to figure out whether my overall response to it is one of frustration or admiration. Not a favourite, but I was impressed by its restraint, and I can imagine it becoming a big seller.
October 15, 2013
Well, honestly, I wasn't overly fond of this and I guess I'm going to be in the minority here but so be it. Typically this is just the sort of book that I usually like; the unreliable narrator, the not knowing who is telling the truth. I found the story interesting and didn't have any problem finishing it but I kept waiting for something to happen. The first half of the book, I just kept thinking "would something happen now? please!" and then when it did it was what I had expected but the book didn't get anywhere with it; nothing was resolved and we are left no wiser than we started. I believe the book will get some rave reviews, in part due to Marta's sanity issues. I think the book may also be accepted from a mental health or feminist angle. I personally identify myself as a member of the mental health community but that gave me no sympathy for the narrator. I didn't like either of the characters and honestly didn't care who was telling the truth. Why don't we just say they both are then we can put him in jail, lock her up in the loony bin and the world will be a better place, imho. Blah!
February 22, 2022
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Genre:
Mystery Thriller
Marta is living with her husband (He is about 20 years older than her) and is on medication. One day she stops taking her medicine & sees/remembers things about herself and her husband. Their son will make a visit to announce that he is getting married. But Marta's hallucination/memory gets more vivid every day. Is she really sick and imagining things? or is she right when she thinks all those things happened to her?
The story was good in general but what it really lacked is a spooky atmosphere. I did not feel it. The main character is who is narrating all this to the reader, so the reader will not trust her easily because there are many questions that need to be answered. The ending of the story was vague, I was personally not very sure what to think about the whole thing. Questions will remain unanswered at the end and this might leave many readers with somehow an underwhelming feel.
This book I bought a very long time ago has been sitting on my shelf so had to pick it up. I had no big expectations from it and it was a good fast read so I will go with 3.5 stars out of 5.0.
Genre:
Mystery Thriller
Marta is living with her husband (He is about 20 years older than her) and is on medication. One day she stops taking her medicine & sees/remembers things about herself and her husband. Their son will make a visit to announce that he is getting married. But Marta's hallucination/memory gets more vivid every day. Is she really sick and imagining things? or is she right when she thinks all those things happened to her?
The story was good in general but what it really lacked is a spooky atmosphere. I did not feel it. The main character is who is narrating all this to the reader, so the reader will not trust her easily because there are many questions that need to be answered. The ending of the story was vague, I was personally not very sure what to think about the whole thing. Questions will remain unanswered at the end and this might leave many readers with somehow an underwhelming feel.
This book I bought a very long time ago has been sitting on my shelf so had to pick it up. I had no big expectations from it and it was a good fast read so I will go with 3.5 stars out of 5.0.
October 13, 2013
This book captivated me from the very first chapter, the writing was to the point, not flowery in any way. The details described were only those needed to accentuate the plot. Very chilling, psychologically creepy, and in the beginning I was not sure what was going on. I thought one way and than another, I knew something was not right but was never really sure what that something was.
Everything fit together so well, kept me interested throughout and at the end all I could think was that this was a fantastic first novel. Seriously the author does not take the reader by the hand and spell everything out but rather throws out clues that one can take to be true or not. A giant puzzle that needs to be put together until a definitive sentence caused me to believe that what I was thinking was right. How very terrible each scenario would be to a woman, a family and a son.
ARC from publisher.
Everything fit together so well, kept me interested throughout and at the end all I could think was that this was a fantastic first novel. Seriously the author does not take the reader by the hand and spell everything out but rather throws out clues that one can take to be true or not. A giant puzzle that needs to be put together until a definitive sentence caused me to believe that what I was thinking was right. How very terrible each scenario would be to a woman, a family and a son.
ARC from publisher.
August 10, 2016
How to be a good wife by Emma Chapman was and interesting and unsettling read.
I really enjoy books set in Scandinavia and How to be a good wife tells the story of Marta and Hector who have been married for a long time - so long that she finds it difficult to remember her life before him. He has always taken care of her, and she has always done everything she can to be a good wife. But when Hector comes home with a secret, their ordered domestic life begins to unravel, and Marta begins to see things, or perhaps to remember them. In the shadows there is a blonde girl that only Marta can see. And she wants something .
I listened to this as an audio book and while the narrator was very good I found the book was very tedious listening and couldn't help wondering if I had read this in paperback would I would have given this novel a higher rating.
I enjoyed the characters in this novel as they were extremely well developed and while the plot is unsettling and disturbing in many ways , the author really manages to make the story seem so believable. I felt a real sympathy towards Martha and her family and the situation they found themselves in. I like books that make me think and this is certainly one of those.
The ending was very realistic and overall I liked this book. I did not however like the audible version and as I said previously it was not down to the narrator but more the fact that for me the subject matter was very depressing listening and for me some books just don't work in audio format. However this is just my experience.
I do think this book would make a good book club read and its the sort of book you want to discuss with friends the minute you finish it.
I really enjoy books set in Scandinavia and How to be a good wife tells the story of Marta and Hector who have been married for a long time - so long that she finds it difficult to remember her life before him. He has always taken care of her, and she has always done everything she can to be a good wife. But when Hector comes home with a secret, their ordered domestic life begins to unravel, and Marta begins to see things, or perhaps to remember them. In the shadows there is a blonde girl that only Marta can see. And she wants something .
I listened to this as an audio book and while the narrator was very good I found the book was very tedious listening and couldn't help wondering if I had read this in paperback would I would have given this novel a higher rating.
I enjoyed the characters in this novel as they were extremely well developed and while the plot is unsettling and disturbing in many ways , the author really manages to make the story seem so believable. I felt a real sympathy towards Martha and her family and the situation they found themselves in. I like books that make me think and this is certainly one of those.
The ending was very realistic and overall I liked this book. I did not however like the audible version and as I said previously it was not down to the narrator but more the fact that for me the subject matter was very depressing listening and for me some books just don't work in audio format. However this is just my experience.
I do think this book would make a good book club read and its the sort of book you want to discuss with friends the minute you finish it.
October 29, 2013
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
3.5 Stars
Marta and Hector have been married for 25 years. She has always been a good wife, catering to Hector’s needs, taking care of the house and their son. Hector has always been a good husband, making sure the bills are paid and that Marta takes her medicine as prescribed. Once Marta decides to stop swallowing her pills and begins throwing them in the bin instead, strange things begin to happen. A young girl appears to her – various ages, weights and degrees of cleanliness, but always the same girl in the same white pyjamas with little hearts and always tugging Marta along, seeking answers . . .
GAH! I hate when I can’t really tell anything about a book because it will tell EVERYTHING about a book. I’ll say what I always say – don’t follow what the book jacket says. This was nothing like Room and I thought Before I Go to Sleep was a total snoozefest, so I would have NEVER picked this up if that was the big “thrilling” comparison. In short, I liked this book. It was creepy and twisted enough to keep my attention. Plus, it’s super short so even if you don’t REALLY like it, you won’t have to waste a lot of time.
3.5 Stars
Marta and Hector have been married for 25 years. She has always been a good wife, catering to Hector’s needs, taking care of the house and their son. Hector has always been a good husband, making sure the bills are paid and that Marta takes her medicine as prescribed. Once Marta decides to stop swallowing her pills and begins throwing them in the bin instead, strange things begin to happen. A young girl appears to her – various ages, weights and degrees of cleanliness, but always the same girl in the same white pyjamas with little hearts and always tugging Marta along, seeking answers . . .
GAH! I hate when I can’t really tell anything about a book because it will tell EVERYTHING about a book. I’ll say what I always say – don’t follow what the book jacket says. This was nothing like Room and I thought Before I Go to Sleep was a total snoozefest, so I would have NEVER picked this up if that was the big “thrilling” comparison. In short, I liked this book. It was creepy and twisted enough to keep my attention. Plus, it’s super short so even if you don’t REALLY like it, you won’t have to waste a lot of time.
October 16, 2013
Who says you can't write a book and have one of the most important plot points left unanswered yet still be a satisfying read? Emma Chapman does this (and well) with her debut novel How To Be a Good Wife.
We're inside the mind of a woman who could very well be losing her mind. Marta Bjornstad is smoking, but doesn't remember she's a smoker. Finding items askew that she doesn't remember moving. And she's having strange visions that could be hallucinations.
There are a lot of holes to her past but she's determined to figure out who she is, and who she used to be. Slowly Marta's memories start coming to her as she is constantly crossing paths with a blonde woman. She doesn't know who this woman is or if she's merely a figment of her imagination.
Emma Chapman introduces us to a woman who isn't reliable enough for us to take at her word so we depend on the ones interacting with her to give us a little more insight. Her husband, Hector, constantly suggests she either needs to take her pills or hasn't taken her pills. Hector seemingly is feeding her the memories she has of how they met without much evidence besides one newspaper clipping of who she was before. To top it off, she uses a manual aptly named How To Be a Good Wife given by her mother-in-law, as her compass in life. How can we be certain she isn't crazy or that there is something more sinister happening in this home?
There are questions left unanswered that will leave readers wondering what is the truth. For some this won't be enough. They will need closure and that's completely understandable. I for one, could not have been more satisfied with How To Be a Good Wife. Marta has such depth and honesty. At moments I was convinced she's probably more than a little crazy, she'll give me a rational argument that suggests this woman should be taken seriously. The problem is how to take seriously a woman who's been suppressed for more than 25 years?
Ultimately, Emma Chapman's debut novel How To Be a Good Wife is such a exceptional, absorbing read. There's tons of mystery and intrigue that will lead lovers of psychological suspense to devour this in one sitting. I am left questioning what I would do if one day I see moments of my past, once filled with so much light, only to be full of shadows.
We're inside the mind of a woman who could very well be losing her mind. Marta Bjornstad is smoking, but doesn't remember she's a smoker. Finding items askew that she doesn't remember moving. And she's having strange visions that could be hallucinations.
There are a lot of holes to her past but she's determined to figure out who she is, and who she used to be. Slowly Marta's memories start coming to her as she is constantly crossing paths with a blonde woman. She doesn't know who this woman is or if she's merely a figment of her imagination.
Emma Chapman introduces us to a woman who isn't reliable enough for us to take at her word so we depend on the ones interacting with her to give us a little more insight. Her husband, Hector, constantly suggests she either needs to take her pills or hasn't taken her pills. Hector seemingly is feeding her the memories she has of how they met without much evidence besides one newspaper clipping of who she was before. To top it off, she uses a manual aptly named How To Be a Good Wife given by her mother-in-law, as her compass in life. How can we be certain she isn't crazy or that there is something more sinister happening in this home?
There are questions left unanswered that will leave readers wondering what is the truth. For some this won't be enough. They will need closure and that's completely understandable. I for one, could not have been more satisfied with How To Be a Good Wife. Marta has such depth and honesty. At moments I was convinced she's probably more than a little crazy, she'll give me a rational argument that suggests this woman should be taken seriously. The problem is how to take seriously a woman who's been suppressed for more than 25 years?
Ultimately, Emma Chapman's debut novel How To Be a Good Wife is such a exceptional, absorbing read. There's tons of mystery and intrigue that will lead lovers of psychological suspense to devour this in one sitting. I am left questioning what I would do if one day I see moments of my past, once filled with so much light, only to be full of shadows.
August 29, 2017
HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE is a strange, intriguing psychological thriller about a woman, Marta, who suddenly feels something in her life is not right.
The story moves slowly, and all the time there was this sense of foreboding, of something big and scary waiting around the corner, ready to pounce. Despite this, I sometimes found the pace a bit tedious, and the character not terribly likeable. I wanted her to learn the truth and be safe, but it was frustrating, because people didn't believe her and it was very unclear whether or not she was reliable as a narrator, too.
It was an interesting story, but ultimately, not very satisfying for me.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
The story moves slowly, and all the time there was this sense of foreboding, of something big and scary waiting around the corner, ready to pounce. Despite this, I sometimes found the pace a bit tedious, and the character not terribly likeable. I wanted her to learn the truth and be safe, but it was frustrating, because people didn't believe her and it was very unclear whether or not she was reliable as a narrator, too.
It was an interesting story, but ultimately, not very satisfying for me.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
August 10, 2014
Psychological thriller about a middle-aged married woman, Marta, who is suffering from empty nest syndrome after her only son leaves home. She has been taking anti-depressant drugs for some time and she decides to stop taking them to see what will happen. Maybe her son will come back and help take care of her. Marta begins to suffer hallucinations involving a young girl with blond hair - or are they memories? Is her husband really trying to help her or is he covering something up? And is she really Marta or is she someone else?
A quick and absorbing read. I love these kinds of books - reminded me of "Before I Go To Sleep" by SJ Watson. If you read that and liked it, you will probably like this as well. Recommend.
A quick and absorbing read. I love these kinds of books - reminded me of "Before I Go To Sleep" by SJ Watson. If you read that and liked it, you will probably like this as well. Recommend.
July 9, 2019
I love reading psychological thrillers. How To Be A good wife in my view is certainly a must buy must read, if you like reading about husband and wife themes. I have never felt so unnerving reading a book before. It is a very clever first novel by Emma Chapman. This author I will follow from now on.
I don't want to give away too much.
Hector gives Marta tablets to calm her and stop her hallucinations. When Marta don't take her tablets her behaviour becomes erratic and she begins to see her husband in a sinister light. As the story developes it raises suspense in who do you believe? Hector or Marta. I highly recommend to fans who like reading psychological thrillers to read How To Be A Good Wife.
I don't want to give away too much.
Hector gives Marta tablets to calm her and stop her hallucinations. When Marta don't take her tablets her behaviour becomes erratic and she begins to see her husband in a sinister light. As the story developes it raises suspense in who do you believe? Hector or Marta. I highly recommend to fans who like reading psychological thrillers to read How To Be A Good Wife.
September 17, 2015
The short review: Creepy creepy creepy creepy
The details: This is yet another book that I found hard to read because it was so intense and at the same time so soft-spoken that every time my family interrupted me, or even just casually walked into the room where I was reading, I wanted to scream and throw something.
I seem to be feeling that way a lot lately, reading-wise. I think it's time to switch to decaf novels.
Anyway. This book gripped me all the way through and I couldn't stop thinking about it and the only reason I didn't take a sick day to stay at home finishing it is that I don't have that kind of job anymore. (I manage an apartment building. Tenants who bang on your door because of a busted pipe have understandably little sympathy for the manager's reading needs.)
So yeah, I couldn't stand not reading this book and it held me mesmerized until the very last page, and now I'm pretty sure I hate this book and never want to think about it again. Although I'll read whatever Emma Chapman writes next, because her prose is really good.
My problem with this book was: Once I finally learned the solution to the mystery haunting this story and its protagonist, I wasn't sure I could buy it. I want to be vague so I don't spoil anything, but I'm just not sure the premise works.
I also hate the ending, but that's the risk an author takes writing that kind of pass-or-fail finale. The reader is either blown away and spends the rest of the week wandering around in a novel-induced haze, or slams the book to the floor and shouts, "That's IT? That's all I get? I'm outta here!" and runs to the library to check out a bunch of Sue Grafton novels just to clear the taste out of her brain.
I had that second reaction.
But yeah, I want to read whatever Emma Chapman writes next.
This is most definitely a book not to take anyone else's word for. It's a swift, terrifying read, so check it out and see what you think.
The details: This is yet another book that I found hard to read because it was so intense and at the same time so soft-spoken that every time my family interrupted me, or even just casually walked into the room where I was reading, I wanted to scream and throw something.
I seem to be feeling that way a lot lately, reading-wise. I think it's time to switch to decaf novels.
Anyway. This book gripped me all the way through and I couldn't stop thinking about it and the only reason I didn't take a sick day to stay at home finishing it is that I don't have that kind of job anymore. (I manage an apartment building. Tenants who bang on your door because of a busted pipe have understandably little sympathy for the manager's reading needs.)
So yeah, I couldn't stand not reading this book and it held me mesmerized until the very last page, and now I'm pretty sure I hate this book and never want to think about it again. Although I'll read whatever Emma Chapman writes next, because her prose is really good.
My problem with this book was: Once I finally learned the solution to the mystery haunting this story and its protagonist, I wasn't sure I could buy it. I want to be vague so I don't spoil anything, but I'm just not sure the premise works.
I also hate the ending, but that's the risk an author takes writing that kind of pass-or-fail finale. The reader is either blown away and spends the rest of the week wandering around in a novel-induced haze, or slams the book to the floor and shouts, "That's IT? That's all I get? I'm outta here!" and runs to the library to check out a bunch of Sue Grafton novels just to clear the taste out of her brain.
I had that second reaction.
But yeah, I want to read whatever Emma Chapman writes next.
This is most definitely a book not to take anyone else's word for. It's a swift, terrifying read, so check it out and see what you think.
April 18, 2017
A dark, compelling and very unsettling domestic thriller from a debut author.
March 6, 2013
Devoured it in one gulp. Emma Chapman resists the obvious and creates a genuine thriller from a largely interior character. Brilliant debut!
October 18, 2013
I really wanted to love this book. I adored Before I Go to Sleep, and this book was compared to that one, so I was excited to read it.
The book follow Marta, who is married to Hector and mother to Kylan. Marta has been medicated for some time for an unnamed mental issue (though one may guess she is bipolar at the very least.) Marta has decided that she doesn't want to take her pills anymore, though she fakes taking them in front of her husband. She begins to question her past, as she can't remember a time before she was married to Hector.
Again, it's hard to discuss why I didn't love it without revealing key points, so...SPOILER ALERT!
1. Marta keeps seeing this girl in pajamas. Sometimes they're clean, sometimes they're dirty, blah blah blah. I found that part of the story to be extremely disorienting. Yes, I get that she is the girl, but the writing is so disjointed that I just wanted to speed right through those parts.
2. Because the book had been compared to Before I Go to Sleep, I knew right away that Marta was the sympathetic character. However, she was also the very annoying sympathetic character. And then she just became the annoying character.
I will say that before I knew for sure that the girl Marta kept seeing was herself, I did wonder if Marta had a daughter who had died, so the author was able to pull that ruse off successfully. Either way, Hector was never a sympathetic character. I figured he was either at the very least a cold person or at the most a pedophile/murderer.
The ending...it sucked. I know that not every story can be tied up in a neat bow. And I guess if Kylan really did do a search on Marta's supposed real name and nothing came up, then she is mentally ill. But it just felt so unhappy, so dissatisfying.
It's okay, but I wouldn't say I'd recommend it.
The book follow Marta, who is married to Hector and mother to Kylan. Marta has been medicated for some time for an unnamed mental issue (though one may guess she is bipolar at the very least.) Marta has decided that she doesn't want to take her pills anymore, though she fakes taking them in front of her husband. She begins to question her past, as she can't remember a time before she was married to Hector.
Again, it's hard to discuss why I didn't love it without revealing key points, so...SPOILER ALERT!
1. Marta keeps seeing this girl in pajamas. Sometimes they're clean, sometimes they're dirty, blah blah blah. I found that part of the story to be extremely disorienting. Yes, I get that she is the girl, but the writing is so disjointed that I just wanted to speed right through those parts.
2. Because the book had been compared to Before I Go to Sleep, I knew right away that Marta was the sympathetic character. However, she was also the very annoying sympathetic character. And then she just became the annoying character.
I will say that before I knew for sure that the girl Marta kept seeing was herself, I did wonder if Marta had a daughter who had died, so the author was able to pull that ruse off successfully. Either way, Hector was never a sympathetic character. I figured he was either at the very least a cold person or at the most a pedophile/murderer.
The ending...it sucked. I know that not every story can be tied up in a neat bow. And I guess if Kylan really did do a search on Marta's supposed real name and nothing came up, then she is mentally ill. But it just felt so unhappy, so dissatisfying.
It's okay, but I wouldn't say I'd recommend it.
April 20, 2016
Haunting.
I always see this word while reading reviews, or blurbs in the cover of hardback books, but have never used it myself. Since I’m usually one of those people who can predict the ending and turns of stories, I’m not easily fazed (maybe only once, while reading Stephen King’s Misery, but I was young and didn’t know any better). I’m glad there’s finally a book where I can use this particular word in my review.
Haunting.
Yes, haunting, chilling, poignant, evocative, stirring, startling, unnerving, disturbing, mesmerizing, terrifying, unforgettable… You can use any or a combination of these words to describe the book. No matter which one, this story will haunt you for a long, long time.
Marta and Hector are a couple living together. Their son, Kylan, has grown up and moved out. Early in the book, we instantly knew something is just not right with their relationship; something seems to be wrong with one or the other. Marta follows the instructions on one particular book her Mother-in-law gave her for her wedding, and her recites the rules in her mind as she carries out the tasks in her day:
Make your home a place of peace and order.
Your husband belongs to the outside world. The house is your domain, and your responsibility.
Never question his authority, for he always does what is best for the family, and has your interests at heart.
Hector goes to work as a teacher, and Marta stays home and does all the housewife duties: clean, cook, shop. She watches the clock closely since she always needed to be ready and have everything prepared, especially the meal, before Hector gets home. Marta does not remember anything before her marriage to Hector. Her whole universe and existence revolves around her husband.
After a hard day at work, your husband will want a hearty meal to replenish his spirits.
Marta is also on some kind of medications, and Hector always makes sure she remembers to take them. Sometimes he stands in front of her and examines her mouth after swallowing. You need them, he says. However, Marta decided to skip the medicine, and that’s when some weird visions appeared. She keeps seeing this frail, skinny blonde girl in various places of the house. She’s wearing white pyjamas with flowers. Sometimes she’s clean, healthy and has perfect nails; other times, skinny as bones, filthy with dirty bitten nails and the color of the pyjamas grey.
Never bother you husband with domestic matters.
Who is the girl? Is she hallucinating, as Hector keeps insisting she is, or is the girl a real person in repressed memory? Should Marta continue to take her medication, or skip to see and hear the girl more clearly? Nothing seems to be what it is. Could she trust her instincts and memories? Should she trust her husband instead, or is she losing her mind? Then, things get even worse when Kylan return to visit with his fiancée… Marta's sometimes strong, clear and coherent and other times lost, confused and full of doubt narrative will break your heart.
Always put the needs of the rest of the family above your own.
It’s unbelievable that this book is a debut and how young the author was when she wrote the book. Emma Chapman writes with the skill of an accomplished, mature and experienced author. The concept is brilliant, the plot tight and the prosecution smooth. She explores many facets of our society with ease and grace. She did not take the easy way out by providing us with a straightforward answer to the question we are still asking ourselves way after the last page is turned… Brilliant.
Thanks to the publisher and Bookbrowse for providing my advance reader’s copy.
I always see this word while reading reviews, or blurbs in the cover of hardback books, but have never used it myself. Since I’m usually one of those people who can predict the ending and turns of stories, I’m not easily fazed (maybe only once, while reading Stephen King’s Misery, but I was young and didn’t know any better). I’m glad there’s finally a book where I can use this particular word in my review.
Haunting.
Yes, haunting, chilling, poignant, evocative, stirring, startling, unnerving, disturbing, mesmerizing, terrifying, unforgettable… You can use any or a combination of these words to describe the book. No matter which one, this story will haunt you for a long, long time.
Marta and Hector are a couple living together. Their son, Kylan, has grown up and moved out. Early in the book, we instantly knew something is just not right with their relationship; something seems to be wrong with one or the other. Marta follows the instructions on one particular book her Mother-in-law gave her for her wedding, and her recites the rules in her mind as she carries out the tasks in her day:
Make your home a place of peace and order.
Your husband belongs to the outside world. The house is your domain, and your responsibility.
Never question his authority, for he always does what is best for the family, and has your interests at heart.
Hector goes to work as a teacher, and Marta stays home and does all the housewife duties: clean, cook, shop. She watches the clock closely since she always needed to be ready and have everything prepared, especially the meal, before Hector gets home. Marta does not remember anything before her marriage to Hector. Her whole universe and existence revolves around her husband.
After a hard day at work, your husband will want a hearty meal to replenish his spirits.
Marta is also on some kind of medications, and Hector always makes sure she remembers to take them. Sometimes he stands in front of her and examines her mouth after swallowing. You need them, he says. However, Marta decided to skip the medicine, and that’s when some weird visions appeared. She keeps seeing this frail, skinny blonde girl in various places of the house. She’s wearing white pyjamas with flowers. Sometimes she’s clean, healthy and has perfect nails; other times, skinny as bones, filthy with dirty bitten nails and the color of the pyjamas grey.
Never bother you husband with domestic matters.
Who is the girl? Is she hallucinating, as Hector keeps insisting she is, or is the girl a real person in repressed memory? Should Marta continue to take her medication, or skip to see and hear the girl more clearly? Nothing seems to be what it is. Could she trust her instincts and memories? Should she trust her husband instead, or is she losing her mind? Then, things get even worse when Kylan return to visit with his fiancée… Marta's sometimes strong, clear and coherent and other times lost, confused and full of doubt narrative will break your heart.
Always put the needs of the rest of the family above your own.
It’s unbelievable that this book is a debut and how young the author was when she wrote the book. Emma Chapman writes with the skill of an accomplished, mature and experienced author. The concept is brilliant, the plot tight and the prosecution smooth. She explores many facets of our society with ease and grace. She did not take the easy way out by providing us with a straightforward answer to the question we are still asking ourselves way after the last page is turned… Brilliant.
Thanks to the publisher and Bookbrowse for providing my advance reader’s copy.
March 16, 2014
Wow. This debut novel is brilliantly psychotic! Marta is a wife, an empty nester, definitely on the verge of some kind of psychological breakdown; but that is just the beginning of this dark, twisted, thriller.
The author (did I mention this is a debut?) does an incredible job of keeping the reader off balance. What's the truth? Can we trust Marta's perspective? Chapman strings us along, throwing clues/mysteries down slowly until the story and the action begin to spin uncontrollably, much like Marta's mind. By the last third, my heart was raving and my house could have been collapsing around me and I wouldn't have noticed. I was just that absorbed.
And the ending?!?! Thank you Ms. Chapman for your courage.
I bought into this book completely. Fans of Gone Girl will certainly enjoy this novel.
The author (did I mention this is a debut?) does an incredible job of keeping the reader off balance. What's the truth? Can we trust Marta's perspective? Chapman strings us along, throwing clues/mysteries down slowly until the story and the action begin to spin uncontrollably, much like Marta's mind. By the last third, my heart was raving and my house could have been collapsing around me and I wouldn't have noticed. I was just that absorbed.
And the ending?!?! Thank you Ms. Chapman for your courage.
I bought into this book completely. Fans of Gone Girl will certainly enjoy this novel.
February 17, 2021
I'm really not having much luck with books at the minute.
This book was really promising, I loved the whole is she struggling with her mental health and needs help or was she abducted storyline. I loved how it was building up, things becoming clearer, her finding clues. Then the ending came. I am so disappointed, it literally answered nothing. I'm stuck with questions, wondering what is going on.
Such a shame, it had so much potential.
It was amazing while it was getting to the point and then just as it reached it's peak it dropped and took a completely different turn, deciding to not tell us anything. I am very frustrated by this ending haha!
This book was really promising, I loved the whole is she struggling with her mental health and needs help or was she abducted storyline. I loved how it was building up, things becoming clearer, her finding clues. Then the ending came. I am so disappointed, it literally answered nothing. I'm stuck with questions, wondering what is going on.
Such a shame, it had so much potential.
It was amazing while it was getting to the point and then just as it reached it's peak it dropped and took a completely different turn, deciding to not tell us anything. I am very frustrated by this ending haha!
March 26, 2016
3.5 stars.. I enjoyed this book but a lower rating because of the ending, which I found disappointing.
February 11, 2014
Thank you to the author and publisher for the lovely paperback copy.
I know what my husband would say: that I have too much time on my hands; that I need to keep myself busy. That I need to take my medication. Empty nest syndrome, he tells his friends at the pub, his mother. He’s always said I have a vivid imagination. Marta and Hector have been married for a long time – so long that she finds it difficult to remember her life before him.
So I have just this second finished this one and wanted to get my thoughts down straight away as its one of those books that I’m fairly sure I will ponder. Again. For a while.
Marta and Hector have been married for many years – since their son left home Marta has struggled to maintain an equilibrium – which isnt helped by the fact that she has stopped taking some kind of long term medication – the exact nature of which remains unclear. As we follow her through daily events and she starts to get flashes of someone elses life, it becomes apparent that all is not well. But is there something wrong WITH her or has something wrong been done TO her. Therein lies the heart of the story…
I have a love/hate relationship with this one. Marta was kind of annoying. That isnt a bad thing, it was just the way it was for me – BUT I was compelled to keep reading what she had to tell me and try and separate the fact from the fiction. Its cleverly done – she leads a fairly mundane life on the surface, the book she keeps referring to “How to Be A Good Wife” is pretty much how she flows…looking after her husbands needs, looking after her childs needs, sticking to a very firm routine and quietly accepting of the fact that there is not a lot of HER there. As she spirals downwards though, things become very dark..
I’m definitely going with “marmite” for this book – personally I thought it was terrific in and of itself, and well written with a very slow build up of tension that gripped me throughout. The ending was a fitting one considering the ambience of the piece and it is entirely driven by the Marta character -it is simply her story, but it will divide opinion of that I am sure.
This is a novel with a lot of talking points and a psychological aspect that is both fascinating and chilling and it will stay with me for a while that is a definite.
Happy Reading Folks!
I know what my husband would say: that I have too much time on my hands; that I need to keep myself busy. That I need to take my medication. Empty nest syndrome, he tells his friends at the pub, his mother. He’s always said I have a vivid imagination. Marta and Hector have been married for a long time – so long that she finds it difficult to remember her life before him.
So I have just this second finished this one and wanted to get my thoughts down straight away as its one of those books that I’m fairly sure I will ponder. Again. For a while.
Marta and Hector have been married for many years – since their son left home Marta has struggled to maintain an equilibrium – which isnt helped by the fact that she has stopped taking some kind of long term medication – the exact nature of which remains unclear. As we follow her through daily events and she starts to get flashes of someone elses life, it becomes apparent that all is not well. But is there something wrong WITH her or has something wrong been done TO her. Therein lies the heart of the story…
I have a love/hate relationship with this one. Marta was kind of annoying. That isnt a bad thing, it was just the way it was for me – BUT I was compelled to keep reading what she had to tell me and try and separate the fact from the fiction. Its cleverly done – she leads a fairly mundane life on the surface, the book she keeps referring to “How to Be A Good Wife” is pretty much how she flows…looking after her husbands needs, looking after her childs needs, sticking to a very firm routine and quietly accepting of the fact that there is not a lot of HER there. As she spirals downwards though, things become very dark..
I’m definitely going with “marmite” for this book – personally I thought it was terrific in and of itself, and well written with a very slow build up of tension that gripped me throughout. The ending was a fitting one considering the ambience of the piece and it is entirely driven by the Marta character -it is simply her story, but it will divide opinion of that I am sure.
This is a novel with a lot of talking points and a psychological aspect that is both fascinating and chilling and it will stay with me for a while that is a definite.
Happy Reading Folks!
December 1, 2012
How To Be A Good Wife will be published in January 2013. Emma Chapman wrote this novel whilst completing her Royal Holloway MA in Creative Writing, incredibly she is only 27 years old. I find this incredible because this debut novel is one of the most accomplished and clever pieces of writing that I've read for a long, long time.
Marta and Hector have been married for many years, they have a grown up son who recently moved to the city. Marta has always tried to be a good wife and took her instructions from the book that her mother-in-law gave to her just after she married Hector. The book is an old-fashioned marriage manual entitled How To Be A Good Wife. Marta misses her son Kylan so much, the house is empty without him, her days are endless with no son to care for. Life seems to be unravelling around her and she begins to see visions of a small blonde girl. Hector is worried about her, she's stopped taking her tablets, she's hallucinating and acting very strangely. It's clear that Marta has suffered with mental health problems for many years and that Hector has looked after his wife ...... but is the small blonde girl a symptom of her illness, or is she a real memory?
Emma Chapman has written a short novel (just over 160 pages), that conveys such a feeling of menace and chill, yet is complex and clever. Marta is such an isolated character, she has no contact with anyone outside of her immediate family and lives in a desolate spot, away from the town, shops and neighbours. Most of the time, she lives within her own head - interacting with her visions and her memories far more than with any living human being.
Is Marta an unreliable narrator? At times I thought so, but there were also times during the story that I believed her wholeheartedly - and that is the beauty of this novel. Even after reading the last few lines, the reader will sit and contemplate the whole story, and yet you will never be quite sure just what is the truth. This is a story and these are characters that will stay in the mind for a long time, a little like the characters that live in Marta's head.
Marta and Hector have been married for many years, they have a grown up son who recently moved to the city. Marta has always tried to be a good wife and took her instructions from the book that her mother-in-law gave to her just after she married Hector. The book is an old-fashioned marriage manual entitled How To Be A Good Wife. Marta misses her son Kylan so much, the house is empty without him, her days are endless with no son to care for. Life seems to be unravelling around her and she begins to see visions of a small blonde girl. Hector is worried about her, she's stopped taking her tablets, she's hallucinating and acting very strangely. It's clear that Marta has suffered with mental health problems for many years and that Hector has looked after his wife ...... but is the small blonde girl a symptom of her illness, or is she a real memory?
Emma Chapman has written a short novel (just over 160 pages), that conveys such a feeling of menace and chill, yet is complex and clever. Marta is such an isolated character, she has no contact with anyone outside of her immediate family and lives in a desolate spot, away from the town, shops and neighbours. Most of the time, she lives within her own head - interacting with her visions and her memories far more than with any living human being.
Is Marta an unreliable narrator? At times I thought so, but there were also times during the story that I believed her wholeheartedly - and that is the beauty of this novel. Even after reading the last few lines, the reader will sit and contemplate the whole story, and yet you will never be quite sure just what is the truth. This is a story and these are characters that will stay in the mind for a long time, a little like the characters that live in Marta's head.
February 7, 2013
This is a sneaky little book. It starts out as a story that feels familiar - a woman (Marta) questioning her marriage as her son leaves the nest and the dynamic at home changes permanently. Gradually it emerges that Marta has a history of mental health issues that seem to be re-surfacing and another layer is added to the story. Then...BOOM! Part way through the book, a little portal into something absolutely unexpected opens, and the rest of the novel is an exciting psychological thriller that keeps you thinking and wondering even after you've finished reading.
I think this is one of those books where the less you know, the better your reading experience will be, so I'll say no more.
I think this is one of those books where the less you know, the better your reading experience will be, so I'll say no more.
May 7, 2015
3.5 stars
Took awhile to get into, but holy crap THAT ENDING!! @_____@
I'm utterly surprised none of my friends on here have to on their TBR list or have read it. Ya, I wasn't sure if I wanted to actually read this just because of the title alone, but it's not what you think.
I highly recommend!
Took awhile to get into, but holy crap THAT ENDING!! @_____@
I'm utterly surprised none of my friends on here have to on their TBR list or have read it. Ya, I wasn't sure if I wanted to actually read this just because of the title alone, but it's not what you think.
I highly recommend!
April 22, 2024
Ik ben aangenaam verrast door dit boek! Hoewel boeken zoals deze doorgaans mijn ding niet is, vond ik dit toch spannend. Maar het is nu ook niet een boek die zo memorabel is.
August 10, 2016
Marta has lived her married life to her older husband Hector quite literally by the book. She has learned How To Be a Good Wife. Though the book doesn't tell you want to do when your son goes off to college and your life becomes meaningless. Marta starts to unravel. She drinks, she cleans, she takes her meds, she doesn't take her meds, she starts to remember, but are her memories real? She remembers a room under the house and being held captive and brainwashed till she was the wife Hector wanted. She tries to tell her son, Kylan, but he has his own life now. She is unhinged, she is a danger to herself. She is not the Marta that they remember, but did that Marta ever truly exist?
If you have a book with an unreliable narrator there has to be some kind of revelation, an inside or outside force that is able to give some kind of resolution to the unfolding drama, even if it is a dissatisfying resolution, re Agatha Christie's Endless Night. To be left without any closure makes for a disgruntled reading experience. But then again, being in Marta's brain for even the short amount of time it took to read this book had already alienated me against her and her antics, so what's one more nail in the book's coffin eh? Marta is scatterbrained, obsessive about the weirdest things, her dinner party for her son is such a disaster it makes the Christmas dinner in The Ref look like the best party in the world. She's unstable, unlikable, and, well, selfish. Why did I read this book again? Oh yeah, book club.
The question though remains, did or didn't Hector create this wife? My mind thinks no. Because it's just too outlandish. If he had done it his own mother would have been complicit, something I don't think she'd ever have done. Plus, let's look at it this way. If Hector was making the perfect wife, after all these years of brainwashing why would she crack? Yes, empty nest syndrome, but this is a major psychotic break. And her meds wouldn't make her more compliant, after all this time she'd totally be in the thrall of Stockholm Syndrome, so drugs wouldn't be needed. Whereas if she's just crazy, going off her meds would do something. They'd make her go back to her natural crazy state. But in the end I don't care. No, seriously, I hated each character so much there was no sympathy and well, fuck the lot of them.
With Marta we are given a woman who is neurotic and self-destructive as well as more then a little dumb. Instead of doing anything logical she runs around like a chicken with her head cut off. If she had just sat down and laid out her thoughts and provided proof of her delusion, perhaps someone would have believed her. Instead of making it seem like her illness was responsible for her inability to tell her suspicions Chapman made Marta's failings feel like an idiotic character flaw of the greatest order, total dumb blond syndrome. Perhaps her decision making is completely impaired, but for some reason I just don't think so. I have this feeling that Marta has a very fixed view of the world and her place in it and when things don't go her way she acts out. This seems to be supported by how everyone treats and coddles her. She's a selfish woman who may have issues, but in the end it's her selfishness that defines her. How else would you categorize the fact that she kills herself on the day of her son's wedding? She's making the happiest day of his life all about her.
Chapman is obviously trying to explore the themes of PTSD and what it does to us knowingly or unknowingly, after all if you didn't get it she talks all about it in her afterword. But the problem is we don't know if Marta is suffering from PTSD or is just run of the mill crazy. Either way Marta is not a sympathetic character so whether she was always crazy or became crazy signifies very little to the book itself. But I think if I was a sufferer of PTSD that this would signify very much to me if I was reading this book, which I wouldn't recommend anyone to do. Because How To Be a Good Wife doesn't exactly portray PTSD in a flattering light. In fact the book kind of makes sufferers of PTSD get lumped in with people with severe mental illnesses. Now, while PTSD is a mental illness, well, it's a different kind and to have it lumped in with the psychotics, this is doing the sufferers of this disease an injustice. In fact everything about this book should offend anyone with any kind of mental instability, because Chapman obviously doesn't get it and doesn't have the compassion to render their fight with compassion and honesty.
The Last Word: "Go"
If you have a book with an unreliable narrator there has to be some kind of revelation, an inside or outside force that is able to give some kind of resolution to the unfolding drama, even if it is a dissatisfying resolution, re Agatha Christie's Endless Night. To be left without any closure makes for a disgruntled reading experience. But then again, being in Marta's brain for even the short amount of time it took to read this book had already alienated me against her and her antics, so what's one more nail in the book's coffin eh? Marta is scatterbrained, obsessive about the weirdest things, her dinner party for her son is such a disaster it makes the Christmas dinner in The Ref look like the best party in the world. She's unstable, unlikable, and, well, selfish. Why did I read this book again? Oh yeah, book club.
The question though remains, did or didn't Hector create this wife? My mind thinks no. Because it's just too outlandish. If he had done it his own mother would have been complicit, something I don't think she'd ever have done. Plus, let's look at it this way. If Hector was making the perfect wife, after all these years of brainwashing why would she crack? Yes, empty nest syndrome, but this is a major psychotic break. And her meds wouldn't make her more compliant, after all this time she'd totally be in the thrall of Stockholm Syndrome, so drugs wouldn't be needed. Whereas if she's just crazy, going off her meds would do something. They'd make her go back to her natural crazy state. But in the end I don't care. No, seriously, I hated each character so much there was no sympathy and well, fuck the lot of them.
With Marta we are given a woman who is neurotic and self-destructive as well as more then a little dumb. Instead of doing anything logical she runs around like a chicken with her head cut off. If she had just sat down and laid out her thoughts and provided proof of her delusion, perhaps someone would have believed her. Instead of making it seem like her illness was responsible for her inability to tell her suspicions Chapman made Marta's failings feel like an idiotic character flaw of the greatest order, total dumb blond syndrome. Perhaps her decision making is completely impaired, but for some reason I just don't think so. I have this feeling that Marta has a very fixed view of the world and her place in it and when things don't go her way she acts out. This seems to be supported by how everyone treats and coddles her. She's a selfish woman who may have issues, but in the end it's her selfishness that defines her. How else would you categorize the fact that she kills herself on the day of her son's wedding? She's making the happiest day of his life all about her.
Chapman is obviously trying to explore the themes of PTSD and what it does to us knowingly or unknowingly, after all if you didn't get it she talks all about it in her afterword. But the problem is we don't know if Marta is suffering from PTSD or is just run of the mill crazy. Either way Marta is not a sympathetic character so whether she was always crazy or became crazy signifies very little to the book itself. But I think if I was a sufferer of PTSD that this would signify very much to me if I was reading this book, which I wouldn't recommend anyone to do. Because How To Be a Good Wife doesn't exactly portray PTSD in a flattering light. In fact the book kind of makes sufferers of PTSD get lumped in with people with severe mental illnesses. Now, while PTSD is a mental illness, well, it's a different kind and to have it lumped in with the psychotics, this is doing the sufferers of this disease an injustice. In fact everything about this book should offend anyone with any kind of mental instability, because Chapman obviously doesn't get it and doesn't have the compassion to render their fight with compassion and honesty.
The Last Word: "Go"
Read
October 7, 2013In an unknown village in an unknown Scandinavian country, Marta experiences the pressures of empty-nest syndrome and a future with nothing but caring for her house and her husband to fill up her time. In a fit of pique at the loss of her son and tired of Hector treating her like the fragile china dolls she loves, she opts to stop taking the very same medication she needs to keep her functional. As she starts remembering bits and pieces of her past and is visited by the blonde girl, she realizes that something is very wrong, that there is something in her past so horrific that she has repressed all of her memories of her childhood. Now, those memories want to resurface and threaten to disrupt the life she has carved for herself.
The key to How to Be a Good Wife is Marta’s narration and whether one believes her to be a reliable or an unreliable narrator. Good arguments can be made for either side of the debate, and the possibilities of both create a heightened tension to an already intense story. There is so much one does not know about Marta and Hector and so much that could be inferred, which is always subjective based on a reader’s own biases and experiences. In addition, there are so many questions, all of which have different answers depending on what one believes about Marta’s story. The unknown is always terrifying, and in this way, Ms. Chapman wrote a novel in which absolutely nothing is known – either by Marta, Hector, or the reader. It is up to the reader to weed through the clues and discern the truth as s/he sees it.
The vagueness of the novel should not scare away readers. In fact, the power of the novel lies in its vagueness and lack of distinct answers. Whether one chooses to believe she is mentally ill or repressing memories of a horrible trauma, the fact remains that Marta’s happily ever after seems to have been built on a façade, which is now decaying and crumbling in the absence of her son. Hector is not the wonderful, doting husband he first appears to be, and her mother-in-law is even worse. Problems abound regardless of their origins, and as Marta wends her way through the tricky maze of memory, these problems become glaringly clear. There is an awfulness to these problems that soothes the frustration felt at the lack of definitive answers.
Or are there solid answers? Just when a reader thinks s/he has the novel completely understood, Ms. Chapmen changes the dynamic of the story entirely. Readers feeling one way or the other will change their minds abruptly based on this new information, regenerating the debate in earnest. It is a brilliant sleight of hand and something readers will not see coming.
How to Be a Good Wife is a fascinating, superbly written study on perception. The is-she-or-isn’t-she elements of Marta’s visions lead readers down tricky paths that have no definitive answers while the surprising ending will have readers questioning everything previously experienced within the novel and then some. The nuanced characters and scenes belie the fact that this is a debut novel. Bound to leave one reeling with the possibilities, the buzz it is going to generate is well-deserved.
The key to How to Be a Good Wife is Marta’s narration and whether one believes her to be a reliable or an unreliable narrator. Good arguments can be made for either side of the debate, and the possibilities of both create a heightened tension to an already intense story. There is so much one does not know about Marta and Hector and so much that could be inferred, which is always subjective based on a reader’s own biases and experiences. In addition, there are so many questions, all of which have different answers depending on what one believes about Marta’s story. The unknown is always terrifying, and in this way, Ms. Chapman wrote a novel in which absolutely nothing is known – either by Marta, Hector, or the reader. It is up to the reader to weed through the clues and discern the truth as s/he sees it.
The vagueness of the novel should not scare away readers. In fact, the power of the novel lies in its vagueness and lack of distinct answers. Whether one chooses to believe she is mentally ill or repressing memories of a horrible trauma, the fact remains that Marta’s happily ever after seems to have been built on a façade, which is now decaying and crumbling in the absence of her son. Hector is not the wonderful, doting husband he first appears to be, and her mother-in-law is even worse. Problems abound regardless of their origins, and as Marta wends her way through the tricky maze of memory, these problems become glaringly clear. There is an awfulness to these problems that soothes the frustration felt at the lack of definitive answers.
Or are there solid answers? Just when a reader thinks s/he has the novel completely understood, Ms. Chapmen changes the dynamic of the story entirely. Readers feeling one way or the other will change their minds abruptly based on this new information, regenerating the debate in earnest. It is a brilliant sleight of hand and something readers will not see coming.
How to Be a Good Wife is a fascinating, superbly written study on perception. The is-she-or-isn’t-she elements of Marta’s visions lead readers down tricky paths that have no definitive answers while the surprising ending will have readers questioning everything previously experienced within the novel and then some. The nuanced characters and scenes belie the fact that this is a debut novel. Bound to leave one reeling with the possibilities, the buzz it is going to generate is well-deserved.
September 8, 2019
The entirety of this book is remarkably unsettling.
This is a psychological thriller with the emphasis on psychological. Every bit of the writing, the characterization, even the setting suits the mood of the story. It is cold and bleak. Rooting for main character Marta becomes remarkably easy very early on, given how isolated she is, but trusting her completely never feels quite right. She probably isn't crazy, except she certainly acts that way sometimes. And it is hard to believe that what her husband is telling her is true, except that isn't anything else even more ridiculous?
One of the main reasons I enjoyed this is because things are not handed to you too quickly. Figuring out what is going on is a tricky business, and it's hard to make a clear judgement call. Are Marta's pills confusing her, or is being off the pills confusing her? What on earth is actually going on?
Many of the other characters are not terribly likeable, though that in itself is part of the dark charm of this. How much leeway does one give Marta for simply appearing, as the narrator, more likeable than those surrounding her?
There probably end up being more questions than answers in this, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion. There are fewer sudden and shocking surprises in this than in the big-name psychological thrillers from the last few years, but none of them manages to maintain this atmosphere. It's more reminiscent of The Yellow Wallpaper than anything else, although I won't argue it is quite on that level. It is an intriguing story, though, and well worth the read.
This is a psychological thriller with the emphasis on psychological. Every bit of the writing, the characterization, even the setting suits the mood of the story. It is cold and bleak. Rooting for main character Marta becomes remarkably easy very early on, given how isolated she is, but trusting her completely never feels quite right. She probably isn't crazy, except she certainly acts that way sometimes. And it is hard to believe that what her husband is telling her is true, except that isn't anything else even more ridiculous?
One of the main reasons I enjoyed this is because things are not handed to you too quickly. Figuring out what is going on is a tricky business, and it's hard to make a clear judgement call. Are Marta's pills confusing her, or is being off the pills confusing her? What on earth is actually going on?
Many of the other characters are not terribly likeable, though that in itself is part of the dark charm of this. How much leeway does one give Marta for simply appearing, as the narrator, more likeable than those surrounding her?
There probably end up being more questions than answers in this, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion. There are fewer sudden and shocking surprises in this than in the big-name psychological thrillers from the last few years, but none of them manages to maintain this atmosphere. It's more reminiscent of The Yellow Wallpaper than anything else, although I won't argue it is quite on that level. It is an intriguing story, though, and well worth the read.
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