The first thriller I ever read was Carrie by Stephen King, although that probably falls more in the horror/fantastical genre. I read through many of his other books and then branched out to Karin Slaughter, Kate White, Megan Miranda, Riley Sage, Lisa Jewell, and several others. They all bring a special flair to the table. When I like an author’s writing, I will read through all of their books. I have proudly read all but one of Jewell’s books, and that last one is on hold for me at the library.
I really enjoyed The Third Wife; enough to read it again. Imagine being a 33-year-old stepmother to five children between the ages of four and 22. And then add in the fact that your husband is still besties with his two exes. Not just civil relationships, but like everyone goes on vacation together relationships – four adults, five kids, two dogs, and a cat; one big happy family. Or are they? This is the story of fractured families, lies that can destroy, and one man at the center of it all who is just obliviously happy and “addicted to love.”
Title: The Third Wife
Author: Lisa Jewell
Rating: A Sad Story
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Page Count: 336
Published: 2016
By conventional standards, the Wolfe family doesn’t fit the mold. Adrian, the patriarch, has been married three times, divorced twice, and recently widowed. He shares two children with his first wife Susie, three with his second wife Caroline, and a cat with his late wife Maya.
The story alternates between the present and about 18 months in the past, leading up to Maya’s mysterious death. Was it an accident? Suicide? We learn that everything Adrian thought was just peachy, was anything but. His children miss him terribly and are each battling their own private issues. Maya wasn’t happy with her current life, the 14 year age gap between her and her husband, the time split with the younger children, the distance from the older ones. It was really just a sad situation everyone was trying to make habitable.
One day, a mysterious blonde enters the fold and sheds some light on Maya’s last moments – before she stepped in front of a bus and tragically lost her life. If you like closure (like I do), you’ll find peace in the ending. “It will all be okay in the end; if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”
TL;DR
Perception is everything. Here you have a patriarch with two ex-wives and one who recently past, who views life through rose-colored glasses. He falsely thinks he’s created a big happy family, but soon learns that they are anything but. This is the tragic story of love, loss, and what it takes to make a family whole again. You’ll find comfort in a well-tied together ending.
If you liked this book, you might enjoy: The Family Upstairs also by Lisa Jewell
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