Summary

Imagine that your husband has two other wives. 

You’ve never met the other wives. None of you know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, you can see your husband only one day a week. But you love him so much you don’t care. Or at least that’s what you’ve told yourself. 

But one day, while you’re doing laundry, you find a scrap of paper in his pocket – an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and you just know it’s another of the wives. 

You thought you were fine with your arrangement, but you can’t help yourself: you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who you really are. Then Hannah starts showing up to your coffee dates with telltale bruises, and you realize she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. But you’ve never known him to be violent, ever. 

Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you be willing to go to find out?

And who is his mysterious third wife?

Why I chose to read this book

With a summary like that, how could I not read this book! It has everything; mystery, a shocking premise, suspense, drama, and salacious details. I needed to know how the wives got themselves into this predicament and how they’ll navigate their future. 

Thoughts & Opinions

Wow! I felt like I was on a roller-coaster from start to finish. This was a fast read because a) it’s a short book and b) it’s such a page-turner. There are so many things that happen that I just couldn’t stop reading, I needed to know what would happen next. The story is narrated by the “middle” wife of a polygamist. She is relentless in her pursuit of truth, so much so that most of her actions are jaw-dropping. At one point the story takes an unexpected turn and it started to remind me of other novels such as The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins) and The Woman in the Window (A.J. Finn); it has the same vibe in the sense that you don’t know what to believe anymore and the lines between reality and fiction are blurred. So if you’re a fan of those books, you’ll like this one as well. Even though the main character’s actions are reckless, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her and her tragic circumstances. I just wanted her to wake up and realize that a better life awaits her if she can just get herself out of this mess. 

I strongly advise against reading this book if you are pregnant. Just don’t do it. Some passages will be simply unbearable, trust me. Also, this book is an alarming reminder to get your mental health in check and to take care of yourself. It also felt like it has some feminist elements to it, and couldn’t help but relate to some of the insecurities the main character felt in regards to relationships.