Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Husband and Wife

Husband and Wife: A NovelAuthor: Leah Stewart
ISBN: 978-0-06-177447-8
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: TLC Book Tours
Purchase Link: Husband and Wife: A Novel
Tour Schedule

Imagine for one minute that your babysitter has arrived, your silk dress hangs comfortably around you showing off all the right curves. You’re now running late for the wedding you’ve been waiting to attend for weeks now. While your husband tries to find his shoes, it’s been twenty minutes, you try to remain calm, un-aggravated and away from the screams of your hungry baby, which is making your breast respond in an inconvenient manner for silk. Since it is likely that your husband will not find his shoes on his own, you head upstairs to help him. While you are looking for the missing shoe, your husband, a novelist, is sitting on the bed holding the one shoe he has and starring off into wall space. While you can’t help but wonder how in the world he would expect to find the other shoe without actually looking for it, you discover the lost shoe which has taken a different form due to the many things piled on top of it. Now that you have both a left and right shoe, you expect your husband to put them on so you can leave for the wedding, but he doesn’t move. Hello? Hubby? We need to go --

It is at this point that your husband turns to tell you that his new novel, the one you read, edited and supported fully is not entirely fiction. “Excuse me? What?” you ask, though you already know. The Arc’s of Infidelity are in a box in your house, the book is at the printers ready to be sold to millions and you are now painfully aware that your husband had an affair. When he ask what you want to do a million and one things roll around in your mind but, for now, all you can say is “We have a wedding to attend.” This is beginning to the story of Sarah and her journey to self discovery.

Plot - Husband and Wife explores the topic of infidelity and losing oneself in a relationship. When Nathan confesses he cheated, Sarah is left to decide what she wants to do which is no easy task. She must consider her children, her marriage and her love for her husband. Is it worth fighting for? Can she forgive him? Will they be able to work it out? Most of all, Sarah is left to journey through her past and discover the missing pieces of herself in order to make a decision about her marriage. Though the story is a bit depressing, how can it not be, the journey Sarah makes is deeply rooted in identity. The novel explores who Sarah is, what she has become and how she finds herself in the midst of being lost. In the aftermath of her husband’s confession, Sarah sees herself differently and re-examines her life in order to reclaim her lost pieces of self.

Writing Style - The story alternates between past and present moving forward and backward in time as Sarah examines her life and tries to figure out how she has arrived at this point. When did she become who she is now? Did she abandon her former self, the poet? How has her marriage changed her? Her children? Her job? The writing was a bit hard to follow since most of this takes place within the characters own mind as she reflects on her past. Though this is not a major hurdle in reading the book it did take a little getting used too. Leah proves with her writing that finding ourselves in the midst of all of it is no easy task. Sarah’s journey to self discover is not a simple one, but is necessary.

Reading Hurdles - The novel is overly descriptive at times. I was lost in some of these passages. I felt parts of the book could have been cut down and still made the point and impact needed. Some of these descriptive parts felt like rabbit trails and were hard to follow as Sarah jumps from one thought to the next in a string of material that will all eventually tie together.

Positive Aspects - Sarah has so many thoughts and valid feelings that I expect many women have felt, even if they haven’t necessarily gone through this specific scenario. At some point, I am sure all mothers have felt they have lost a piece of themselves because you give up so much for your children, your marriage and your job. When life becomes hectic and busy it is easy to lose sight of those pieces of you that are unique and really meant for just you. Sarah also has many valid thoughts, questions and feelings regarding her husbands infidelity and the choices she now has to make. The book though sad, is about betrayal and the effects of infidelity along with renewal and self discovery. As you expect the situation to be painful in life it is painful to read but rewarding as well. The book has a little something for every woman. I’m sure most women can connect with some part of this story on a personal level.

Overall - I enjoyed the pretense of this novel. I found it interesting that Nathan is a writer who bases his own fiction on his life’s ugly truth. It makes you wonder how many authors use a bit of their own experiences or truths and turn them into best selling novels. I loved that Nathan confesses in the beginning of the book. I book really dives into the issues and then examines Sarah’s journey. I absolutely love the cover art for this book. It simply catches the eye and says so much while at the same time says nothing. It doesn’t giveaway the contents of the book but it does portray the emotions within.
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Connect With Leah:
Leah's website
Facebook
Twitter link: @leahcstewart
Goodreads

Book Club Girl is interviewing Leah Stewart on May 23, 2011 at 7pm ET. Here's the link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/book-club-girl/2011/05/23/leah-stewart-discusses-husband-and-wife.



3.5 out of 5 Photobucket

1 comment:

  1. Wow, THAT book certainly starts off with a bang! I can't imagine being in her shoes - what a shocker that would be.

    Thanks for being on the tour. I'm glad you enjoyed the book!

    ReplyDelete

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