Mrs. Wilson's Affair: A Great Gatsby Retelling

by Allyson Reedy

A beautiful and brilliant retelling of The Great Gatsby from the perspective of an often forgotten, yet indispensable, female character—Myrtle Wilson, Tom Buchanan's mistress.

It is 1922. Myrtle Wilson lives a lonely, desolate existence above her husband’s garage in the “valley of ashes” between New York and Long Island. All her dreams—and her marriage itself—are turning to dust until she crosses paths with Tom Buchanan on the subway. In one moment, Myrtle’s life is irrevocably changed. “You can’t live forever, you can’t live forever” becomes the mantra that galvanizes her decision to embark on a fateful affair with the wealthy stranger. She battles with herself and the forces that keep her boxed in, experimenting with what little power she has over the men in her life, her situation growing more dire in the frenetic days leading up to her death.
Paralleling the events of The Great Gatsby—and in key scenes even masterfully weaving in original dialogue—Mrs. Wilson’s Affair provides a poignant look at how isolation and unfulfilled desire can shape our destiny and will transform how you read Fitzgerald’s classic novel.

This poignant and gripping novel teems with raw, complex emotion. It is perfect for fans of classic retellings like Sandra Newman’s Julia , and Nghi Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful .

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Literary Fiction, Retellings

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2025

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve ever read The Great Gatsby and wondered who Myrtle Wilson really was beyond the brief scenes we see in Fitzgerald’s novel, Mrs. Wilson’s Affair is a fascinating reimagining that gives her a fuller story, deeper emotion, and a voice of her own.
Set in 1922, Myrtle lives a bleak and lonely existence above her husband’s garage in the “valley of ashes” between New York and Long Island. Her world feels small, stagnant, and suffocating, and her dreams are fading fast. Then she meets Tom Buchanan on the subway, and that single moment shifts the course of her life. Suddenly Myrtle believes there may be something more for her than the life she has been trapped in, and she becomes consumed by the idea that she deserves more before it is too late.
One of the strongest parts of this book is how effectively it plays with the “what if” concept. It parallels The Great Gatsby in a way that feels intentional and thoughtful, even weaving in original dialogue in certain scenes. As a companion novel, it works really well. It expands on Myrtle’s motivations and choices and makes her feel like a real person rather than simply a side character used to move the plot along.
I also appreciated how the author captured Myrtle’s isolation and desire. This version of Myrtle is messy, flawed, and sometimes frustrating, but she is deeply human. You can feel her hunger to be noticed, valued, and taken seriously, and you can also feel the weight of the limitations placed on her as a working class woman with so few options.
That said, I did struggle with certain themes, mostly due to personal preference. Cheating is central to the story, and while that is obviously expected and necessary given the source material, it still made it harder for me to fully enjoy. The spousal abuse content was also difficult to read at times. Additionally, while the pregnancy storyline made sense within the context of Myrtle’s life and decisions, it is simply a trope I personally do not enjoy, so that aspect didn’t work for me.
Overall, Mrs. Wilson’s Affair is an engaging, creative companion to The Great Gatsby that adds emotional depth and context to Myrtle’s storyline. If you enjoy historical fiction, classic retellings, and novels that explore the inner lives of women who were often overlooked or dismissed, this is definitely worth picking up.

[dear3st · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Myrtle’s deep red blood pooled on the dusty asphalt, just beneath the pitying stare of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg, who looked, strangely, as if he’d seen this coming all along. The shiny yellow car kept on driving.”

gave so much more depth to an already tragic character, Myrtle you will never be hated by me 😫

[Bill Silva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh…poorly written (and even worse editing), painfully repetitive, and not all insightful regarding the themes and characters in The Great Gatsby. The imagined backstory and inner life of Myrtle Wilson (and her affair with Tom Buchanan) here are not at all convincing, and even seem contradictory to the little we absolutely know from Fitzgerald’s novel. I guess I’m convinced now that Myrtle is a true secondary character…beyond the drama she incites and that circles around her (and what her character helps us understand about either more significant characters), there’s really not much there there.

[Greg Mcboat · Rating 5 out of 5]

To preface, I've never been a big Fitzgerald fan. His tone and female characters are especially challenging for me. Imagine my shock when I picked up this book and couldn't put it down. Mrs. Wilson's Affair takes the evocative world of Gatsby and brings the focus on the women of the story. This book took me deep into Myrtle's mind and experiences. I loved the cinematic writing of Reedy and this debut novel deserves a toast at one of Jay's lavish parties!

[Courtney Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
If you like The Great Gatsby, this one should definitely be on your TBR. Rather than Gatsby's story, this focused on Myrtle Wilson and how her affair with Tom Buchanan began and evolved. The writing was philosophical and reflective, both within and outside the character's thoughts. It was cool to see the other perspective, and I enjoyed the narrative Allyson created. I felt like this story also touched on good and evil and the flaws humans have in society. Ultimately, none of them were good people, but this book wasn't really about the redemption ARC. Overall, I enjoyed this; it was a relatively quick read, and I would be excited to see other stories or retellings from Allyson. Thank you to Union Square and Co. for an ARC to read and review!

[Jen Moyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have so much respect for anyone who chooses to build on the formidable legacy left by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. More than any other novel I’ve read, Gatsby is, to me, a living text. I’ve read it over twenty times and taught it almost as many, and with every reread or discussion, I find more truth hidden in the magic of its words.

The one thing I’ve always wished for more of in my exploration of Gatsby is details about the Wilsons. Despite their geographical proximity, George and Myrtle’s lives are so wildly different than the other characters’. They both want more and deserve more, but because of their lack of status, their dreams don’t count. When Myrtle decides to defy the odds, she becomes an object of ridicule. But it’s hard to get angry at her when her only choices are bad choices. So when I saw that Allyson Reedy was determined to fill in some of the blanks to tell Myrtle’s story, I couldn’t wait to read it.

Mrs. Wilson’s Affair gets a lot right. I enjoyed the exploration of love - or what we think is love - and how the highs and lows of everyday life can impact it. I appreciated the way Reedy was able to address the impossible situations so many women were caught in simply because they were born women. I loved the way she weaved in a thoughtful discussion about creation, one that made me look at George’s profession in a whole new way. And finally, I was glad to see that she recognized the many different power dynamics at play in the characters’ lives.

What didn’t work for me was the narrator, mostly because it felt a lot more like the author trying to break the fourth wall. It was almost as if an English teacher would pipe in at critical moments just to make sure the student-readers had formed the right conclusions. Not only did these discursive passages about the nature of humanity always seem to appear at the wrong time, but they also took away from all the good work the story had done. Reedy would have done better to trust that her characters were capable of showing readers what these passages felt the need to tell them.

In terms of style, I often felt like Reedy was trying too hard to sound like Fitzgerald. While I get wanting the stories to ‘feel’ similar, forcing it just makes the differences shine through even more. That said, I haven’t read enough of Reedy to comment on whether or not her voice here resembles her voice in her other novels, so this criticism may not be valid.

Thanks to Netgalley and Union Square for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I will admit I have never read the Great Gatsby so I can't really express my opinions on the characters or even their actions so I am just going to keep this review on the light side of things. I will admit I enjoyed reading the story because the author did a very good job of telling the story and who knows maybe I will read the Great Gatsby in the near future.
The plot of this story focuses on Myrtle Wilson who is unhappy with her life and her marriage. One day while on the subway she meets the wealthy Tom Buchanan and from there a passionate affair arises. However, situation like these don't always have a happy ending.
Overall this was a interesting read and I am glad that I took the time to read it.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Wilson’s Affair is a captivating and richly imagined retelling of The Great Gatsby—one that finally gives voice to the woman long overshadowed by Fitzgerald’s glittering cast: Myrtle Wilson. In this brilliant re-envisioning, Myrtle is no longer a mere plot device or a tragic footnote. Instead, she emerges as a fully realized, deeply human protagonist whose desires, disappointments, and moments of rebellion reshape our understanding of the classic novel.
Set in 1922, the story immerses readers in Myrtle’s bleak life above her husband’s garage in the desolate “valley of ashes.” It is here, in this grim backdrop of dust and despair, that her dreams begin to crumble—until a chance encounter with Tom Buchanan on a subway platform alters the course of her life. The famous line, “You can’t live forever,” becomes Myrtle’s rallying cry as she reaches for something—anything—beyond the constraints of her stagnant marriage and suffocating environment.
What makes this retelling remarkable is not only the emotional depth it gives Myrtle but also the seamless way it parallels and intersects with The Great Gatsby. The author masterfully integrates key scenes and even threads in original dialogue from Fitzgerald’s work, creating an experience that feels both fresh and hauntingly familiar. Through Myrtle’s eyes, the Jazz Age becomes more than a glamorous playground for the wealthy—it becomes a stark study in isolation, unfulfilled longing, and the devastating consequences of reaching for a life just out of grasp.
Mrs. Wilson’s Affair is a poignant, beautifully crafted novel that reframes a well-known story through a lens of empathy and complexity. It is a must-read for Gatsby fans and anyone who appreciates retellings that illuminate the voices history—and literature—too often leave behind. After reading it, you’ll never think of Myrtle Wilson the same way again.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally Myrtle gets some air time! This one really made me think about being a woman in the 1920's US, urban vs. rural, gender roles and expectations and opportunities. And that cover!

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

gotta start off by saying im a huge great gatsby fan (i love the movie and have reread the book multiple times the most recent being last month) with that being said *IMO* this book was super disappointing
-i felt like it veered off so much from the original story that if you had told me this book was abt a random miserable woman who meets a wealthy man on a train and has an affair id believe you, this book felt so disconnected from the original novel that it was better off just being its own book then a gatsby “retelling” (id give the book 3 ⭐️ if it wasnt supposed to be a retelling)
-one of the most iconic scenes from the original is when they have the party in tom and myrtles apartment and i felt like they absolutely butchered it in this book, it felt so unrelated to the original and then theyd throw random quotes from the original book in to almost try to counteract how much they were not even remotely following the storyline, which the whole point of a retelling isnt that its supposed to be the same theres no point in that but to take such an important scene from the original and just go wayward with it was insane/frustrating to read
-i didnt love the writing in it i felt like the author repeated themselves alot and at certain points it almost felt like they were writing an essay and had to have a certain word count
- and in regards to repeating themselves i felt like they spent all this time reiterating how torn myrtle is abt what shes doing and how she just wants tom to choose her but knows he wont when they couldve gave more depth to tom as a character or more to george, i understand its supposed to be abt myrtle but i think the men involved w her are important to the story as well and they gave us nothing in regards to them, the book couldve been like 50/75 pages shorter if they were only going to focus on myrtle
idk i guess i feel like if youre going to do a retelling of such an iconic and classic story it should have alot of depth and coincide with the actual characters and storyline from the original and not just feel like the author skimmed the original book and just kinda threw something together
ive read another retelling (beautiful little fools) and absolutely loveddd it, this one just really didnt hit the mark for me but the covers really pretty

[Sam Neumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a casual Gatsby fan. I rarely find interest in retellings. And I give up on 3 out of 4 novels that I start. But I tore through this book in a few days, and even when I wasn't reading, the story stayed with me. It is positively engrossing.

What a painfully beautiful thing to see the world through Myrtle Wilson's eyes. The prose seems effortless, the story never stalls, and the messy, confused, and honest take on the morality of Myrtle's situation tracks closer to real life than most anything I've read. The narrative style is unique, and lets us into the other characters' heads while treating the reader to just enough to enrich the story rather than hamper it. It's a tightrope, but Reedy walks it effortlessly. As someone who has dabbled in fiction in the past, I found myself getting envious more than once.

It's either a small story made big or a big story made small—I can't quite decide which. But either way, it's the best kind.

[Lorena · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Over the course of a day, a month, a year, we look into the eyes of countless people, casual interactions that are so easily forgotten that they shouldn’t even be considered forgotten because they were never really noted or remembered in the first place. So many black pupils, surrounded by banded rings of muted colors, as unique as visible fingerprints, go completely unnoticed. Eyes meet, lips move, and we move on, completely missing the humanity of those we encounter, subconsciously dismissing those eyes as ordinary, expected things that we routinely experience”

As a Gatsby super fan this was everything I needed and more.

[Kelly Keene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful retelling!

[Tiffany Painter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a perfect telling of a story I didn’t realize was needed. Myrtle finally got to tell her story and add a layer to that fateful summer.

[Rochelle Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t wowed by the writing, but I like the filling in of the gaps. Poor Myrtle.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

glimmers of potential but not enough to redeem what was mostly an uninspired and unimaginative retelling

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ - I loved Great Gatsby but haven’t read it in a while so I had to do a little research on the characters. This is definitely not what I was expecting - a lot darker and grittier.

[Courtney N Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved !!!

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story focusing on a minor character from The Great Gatsby sounded great. Unfortunately, I didn't love it. Myrtle was Tom's lover and there just isn't enough of her from the original to pull from and the author didn't do a great job of building her a backstory to make the book that interesting. I was bored most of the time, as we spend entirely too much time inside Myrtle's head where she feels guilty about and then tries to justify the affair. Even the twist at the end wasn't enough to save this one for me. And it had weird narration. We'd switch from third-person narration of Myrtle to third-person narration or Tom and then to an omniscient narrator calling them both unreliable, all within a matter or paragraphs. It was enough to give me whiplash. This one was a skimmer.
Myrtle meets Tom on the train into the city one morning and inexplicably leaves with him to have sex in his apartment. At first she feels guilty and tells her sister all about it and doesn't plan to see him again. But as the days go on, she begins to feel differently and when Tom tracks her down, she agrees to meet him again. But this time feels different, like she is just there to satisfy him and that he doesn't really have any feelings for her. This back and forth, guilt and longing, goes on for quite some time. All the while, they keep meeting. Myrtle even tries to save her marriage by trying to convince George to sell the shop and move to California, as they once dreamed of doing. But he refuses and can't understand why she wants to go. Eventually the inevitable happens and Myrtle is suddenly pregnant and George is elated. He's been hiding himself in a bottle for a while now and he sees this as the chance for them to finally become settled as a family. But of course the baby is unlikely his and he eventually gets wind of the affair and locks Myrtle in the apartment while he packs for their move to California. But for Myrtle it is too late and she refuses to go with him, so he beats her every night to try to get her to submit. When she hears Tom outside, getting gas, she assumes that he is there for her. But, unbeknownst to her, he has chosen to fight for Daisy, if only to keep Gatsby from getting her. Later that day, when Myrtle sees the car coming back, she escapes from the apartment and runs to Tom, who she assumes is driving the car. As we all know, he isn't and Myrtle dies after she is hit. Skip it and read the original.

[Marta Lee Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reedy—with engrossing Roaring Twenties dialogue and a feminist narrator that includes the reader—elevates Fitzgerald’s Myrtle Wilson from forgotten mistress to a power hungry dreamer.

This novel is for Gatsby geeks. Hardcore fans who’re familiar with the blue eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg, as the opening paragraphs are dedicated to them. But you don’t need to be a Gatsby super fan to read this novel because the details paint our heroine’s grimy world with longing. Myrtle’s wifely loneliness is swiftly filled by the privileged Tom Buchanan as they speed through New York City in a cab. The seduction swells as Myrtle, who believes that “marriage just gives you another person to be lonely with,” abandons her vows and “spreads her legs” in a fevered yearning to be desired once again. If you enjoy modern feminist retellings like The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo or Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell—stories that reclaim silenced women and reimagine classics through a lush, lyrical lens—you’ll love this novel.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this! Gatsby is such a hefty undertaking that this character study needed to be much more polished in order to hit home. Even though we are already familiar with these characters, Myrtle could still use more character development in this portrayal- the lack of this made Myrtle’s motivations feel unconvincing to me. The frequent references to Gatsby symbols was unfortunately distracting- TJ Eckleburg could be mentioned significantly less while still getting the intended point across, for example. In Gatsby, I viewed Myrtle as fiercely sensual/naive but her repetitive internal monologue in this retelling unfortunately did not mirror this for me. Overall, I would be interested in discussing this in a book group setting solely to give Myrtle the spotlight she definitely deserves. I did read this in 1 day, so definitely a star for that!

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️I had to soft dnf at 62%
I think the issue was, there was already so much depth to the character of Myrtle. I feel like the author was trying to push the whole, "she's a modern woman in the 1920's, so exhibitionism is okay?" It just pushed too many boundaries that people wouldn't have pushed back then. idk.. too much unnecessary spice that didn't really lend to her connection with Tom or, help the plot.. this loudly whispered 2025, when I know that wasn't the author's intention. I wanted to really like this.

(thank you to Netgalley & the publisher who sent me the e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion)
will eventually revisit. .

[Sarah Garway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love The Great Gatsby, so I was a little skeptical of this one. I mean, how can anyone retell one of the greatest novels ever written? Mrs. Wilson’s Affair didn’t feel like it was trying to be Gatsby so much as give a different perspective, and I honestly loved it so much more than I thought I would. Myrtle is so real and complex here, stuck in a life that didn’t go the way she’d expected, in love with two men and struggling with both her feelings and her station. She’s so much more human than in Gatsby, and I appreciated the fresh perspective. Would definitely recommend, especially in tandem with Gatsby.

[Cari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retellings can be hit or miss, but this one absolutely delivers. It reframes The Great Gatsby through Myrtle Wilson’s eyes, turning Tom Buchanan’s mistress from a forgettable side character into a complicated, three-dimensional woman you both sympathize with and get frustrated by. The writing is descriptive and honest, digging into loneliness, desire, and the brutal realities of class warfare in a way that gives the Gatsby world sharper edges and emotional weight. It even made me realize I probably need a refresher on the original, since I haven’t read it since high school. I just finished it and loved it.

[Willow Lezcano · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟
This adaption of my favorite book is a wonderful take on the classic. I thoroughly enjoyed Myrtle’s point of view and the depth it added to the story, but some points read more like an original smut you’d find on AO3 than a retelling of a ~classic~. Tom is, as in the original, a total failure of a man. I found the origins of their affair such an ordinary and possible encounter. Her sister, Catherine, was a delight and a true example of a little supportive, sister. Myrtle is such a tragic character and the theory of her pregnancy brings added torture to her story.

[Emily O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly savored this book! I found myself reading it in 20–30 minute bursts, and each time it felt like a small, perfect escape from the craziness of life. The story kept me hooked—just when I was settling into a part, something new and exciting would unfold. This book is so vividly imagined and engaging that it would make a fantastic film adaptation.

[Johnette Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Great Gatsby is one my favorite novels, so I was excited to read this retelling from Myrtle's point of view. Sadly, it does not compare to the Fitzgerald's original. There were some things unnecessarily changed from the original story, and I didn't care for that. I feel like the author could have done much more to bring out Myrtle's desperation, but it just never came through.

[Anne Earney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audio book, which was good but not great. This retelling/expansion on Great Gatsby started off strong, dragged in the middle, then got good again at the end when it picked up with events from the original. Overall depressing, which makes sense given the circumstances of the main character, but still, something to keep in mind.

[Austen Hathaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t normally read retellings but the cover grabbed me, and I was not disappointed. A great standalone book, but also, obviously, a great Gatsby spinoff. I’m recommending it for my January book club!

[Bryanna Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting prospective shift telling the story through Mrytle’s point of view. There were parts in he middle that seemed to drag on and be repetitive but looking at how simple and small her life had become it made sense that’s all she had.