“Leah Stewart’s brilliantly written novel Husband and Wife is a deeply human book: funny, tender, smart, self-aware. When you read it you will laugh, you will cry, you will recognize others, you will recognize yourself.” — Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Castaways and Barefoot
From the highly acclaimed author of The Myth of You and Me comes a new novel about a young mother who finds her identity rocked to the core when her writer-husband reveals his next novel about infidelity isn’t entirely fiction. Fans of Meg Wolitzer, Ayelet Waldman, and Marisa de los Santos, as well as memoirs like Happens Every Day and Perfection, will love Leah Stewart’s Husband and Wife.
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"Marriage is complicated. Extramarital affairs just add to the complication. And the past, well that can be a complication all on its own. In Leah Stewart's novel, Husband and Wife, we find ourselves introduced to Sarah and Nathan, a married couple with two children. She brings home the bacon, while he stays home to fry it - well, he also writes books and takes care of their kids. In fact, his latest book is set to be a best seller, which should be good news. Except that this book is about infidelity (that's the title of the book) and according to Nathan its based on his own extramarital affair. He tells his wife this fact on the night of their best friends' wedding, where they are set to give a toast all about marital bliss. Stunned at this revelation, all Sarah can think of is that they have a wedding to attend. From this point on we are witness to the topsy-turvy whirl of emotions that Sarah undergoes as she struggles to understand what happened to Nathan, their marriage and her sense of self.
This is a novel that explores what happens when you find out that your spouse has cheated on you. How do you react to such news? Who do you blame? Why did this happen? What are your options - separation, divorce, stay married? All of these questions run through Sarah's head as she decides to pretend it never happened, then decides to throw her husband out of the house, and finally decides to take a road trip with her kids. We are privy to all of Sarah's thoughts and actions, whether they be bad or good. We read about Sarah feeling guilty for leaving her children alone so that she can take long drives in the middle of the night. We read about Sarah kissing her husband's best friend. We read about Sarah learning that her husband's mistress will be in town the exact same weekend he suggested that she should take the kids and get away for a few days. We learn about Sarah's life as a grad student in Austin, Texas where she smoked pot and planned on becoming a poet. We learn about the fact that Nathan resents the changes Sarah has made - such as, maintaining a nine to five job instead of writing poetry, no longer reading books or discussing art house films and instead choosing Spider Man 2 as her favorite movie. We also learn about Rajiv and the fact that he has always been a little in love with Sarah and continues to keep in contact with her.
In fact, being that this book is from Sarah's perspective, we learn quite a few things about Sarah's life and are able to gain a better understanding as to why this betrayal has allowed her to take a closer look at the choices she made throughout her life. Recognizing how much of herself she has sacrificed in order to provide for her family has not only affected her marital life, but also her sense of self (her identity). Once passionate about poetry, Sarah realizes that she has not written a poem in years and begins to question why exactly that is. What has prevented her from creating poems? Why has she allowed herself to stop indulging in a passion that was once a huge part of her life? Why did she choose to let Nathan continue to pursue his love of writing, whilst she gave up hers?
By the end of the book, you may or may not agree with some of the choices that Sarah has made along the way, but you do understand how she got to where she is. You find yourself wondering what will happen next for this couple and their kids - will they ever be happy again? Will they allow their past mistakes to remain in the past? Will Sarah write poetry again?
I don't want to reveal everything that happens in the book, because I don't want to spoil the story for you. Suffice it to say that the ending was what I expected. Overall, this is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading contemporary fiction, specifically women's fiction. Its a book about betrayal and the ways in which one struggles to deal with its aftermath. The writing is solid and emotive and allows you to easily connect with Sarah. The story is filled with details from the past and present that hold your attention throughout. And the characters, whether they be peripheral or center stage, are engaging and memorable. This is a book that has left me wondering so many things about marriage and the concept of identity and self."
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Nadia (4 out of 5 stars)