My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
I’d heard a lot of good things about My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney, so I bought a copy when it was published in paperback in July. And I wasn’t disappointed!
My Husband’s Wife starts with artist, Eden Fox, going out for a run. She has recently moved into Spyglass, a stunning old house in the seaside village of Hope Falls, with her rich husband. That evening, she had an art exhibition in the village, which would be her chance to get to know the neighbours. But when she gets back from her run, her key no longer fits the door.
A woman who looks very similar to Eden answers the door, claiming that she is Eden and Spyglass is her house. With no way of getting inside and nothing in her possession to prove who she really is, Eden is in a mess. How far will she go to prove that she is the real Eden Fox?
Meanwhile, we have the story of the mysterious Birdy, a woman in her early 40s who has found out she is dying from cancer. How does she fit in with Eden and Spyglass?
My Husband’s Wife is a real page turner. The number of twists and turns and unreliable narrators is off the scale! And regular readers of psychological thrillers will know that interesting houses by the sea always turn out to be trouble. This reminded me a bit of The Family Friend by Claire Douglas, which I read recently.
The story is told in short chapters, in the first person, by various characters, including Eden, Birdy and local police officer, Carter. I pretty much worked out one of the twists early on as there seemed to be quite an obvious clue, but the rest of it had me guessing right to the end. I can’t even say for sure if everything was sorted satisfactorily at the end because there was so much going on.
If you like twists and unreliable narrators, I would recommend My Husband’s Wife. But if that isn’t your cup of tea, you should probably give it a miss! I’ve only ever read one Alice Feeney book before – I Know Who You Are back in 2019 – but I’m going to look out for more of them now.
I have only just started listening to the audio book of this and I didn’t want to stop last night as I want to know what happens and why!!
It is definitely one of those you can’t stop once you start! I don’t think I’ve ever known as many twists in a story.
Alice Feeney definitely keeps you reading. Some find she has too many twist and turns and like to see if they can work it out, but I do enjoy her books as they are very different. Some are better than others though. I’ve still not read them all, sometimes you need a little break.
This was definitely the most twists and turns I’ve ever come across in a book! I enjoyed it and will definitely try a couple more of hers soon.