The Silent Wife. Finished 11-22-16, rating 4/5, thriller, pub. 2013

Unabridged audio read by Karen White and Donald Corren. 9 hours.

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.  from Goodreads

I read comparisons to Gone Girl, a book I had a love/hate relationship with, and decided to give it a try because I was in the mood for a thriller.  It was…different.

Both Jodi and Todd are for the most part unlikeable.  Todd is a womanizing cheater and Jodi knows it but stays anyway.  After twenty years, Todd finally makes a mistake that will change their status quo and Jodi can’t accept it.

I went through a whole range of emotions with both of these characters.  While neither were likeable, each had their moments of being more sympathetic than I was expecting, so there were those little surprises that made this, in some ways, more enjoyable than Gone Girl.  Quieter, but just as twisted in  a more cerebral way.

I liked it. When  Jason asked me if he should give it a listen, I hesitated.  If you like the more introspective thrillers that deal with ugly topics then, yes, this book is for you.  When I told him this he decided to skip it, but that doesn’t mean you should.