How well do we really know the people we love? This is the question you will be asking yourself as you read Christian White’s highly anticipated second novel.
Set in an eerie island town during winter, the story is told from two perspectives. Kate is a widow, whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her late husband’s secret life. Then there’s Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside down when she’s forced to confront the evidence that her husband is a murderer. However, nothing on the island is quite as it seems as Kate and Abby discover, when they share their stories.
This is a mind bending thriller that certainly delivers – full of revelations, unexpected twists and polarising truths! I particularly enjoyed the multiple thought provoking themes including marriage, parenting, sexual orientation, sacrifice and grief. Even taxidermy is included! Layered throughout the narrative, each of the themes guides the story with purpose. However, at no point did I anticipate the final direction of the plot.
Christian White is an Australian author and screenwriter. His first novel, The Nowhere Child was a bestselling debut novel which has since been sold in 16 countries and has been acquired in a major screen deal. Despite Christian’s first novel, being dubbed a hard act to follow, The Wife and the Widow cements his role as a stellar storyteller.
Reviewer: Andrea Molloy Hachette, RRP $34.99