"A Reliable Wife" ~ Robert Goolrick

"A Reliable Wife" came from the page-a-day recommendations and I now know it is a pretty hot book club book.  Taking place in 1907, Ralph Truitt, an older, wealthy Wisconsin business man advertises for a "reliable wife".  Younger woman Catherine Land answers the ad and comes to Wisconsin with a plan.  She is going to marry him, kill him slowly and be left a wealthy widow.  Now before anybody starts yelling "SPOILERS!!!" at me, it tells you this on the back of the book.  I was immediately intrigued and couldn't wait to read it.  What I discovered is this is either a love it or hate it book.  I loved it (mostly).

The writing is spare, clean, and cool.  I know, cool, what's that?  It's the only way I can explain it.  There is nothing extra, no exuberance, no extrovertness to the writing.  The writing was almost meditative for me.  This is reflected in the characters of Ralph and Catherine.  The story alternates between their points of view and while you, the reader, are exposed to their inner thoughts and dialogue, the rest of the world isn't.  These are both people with secrets to hide.  They are both careful and aware of the persona they are projecting to the world around them.  About half way through, a third character is introduced and then the story alternates between the three to the end of the book. 

Having said all that there is a tension that starts and then builds throughout the book.  Starting with, is she going to do it?  When is she going to it?  Why is she going to do it?  Who is this person?  What are her motives?  Is Ralph going to figure it out?  There is a surprising amount of action sprinkled throughout the book.  The settings of rural Wisconsin and St. Louis are the fourth and fifth characters rounding out this book.  Goolrick highlights the lives of many types of people with out preaching about it.  The long, dark, harsh, lonely winters in Wisconsin.  The excesses of the rich and the plight of the poor in St. Louis. 

This is not a happy book.   Those who hate it will say the language is to simple, it's to dark, I didn't like the characters, etc...  I don't disagree per se.  Everyone is trapped to some extent by their circumstances.  I enjoyed reading it and I kept turning the pages, because I wanted to know what was going to happen.  Somethings I thought I figured out I got right and others I got wrong. I liked Ralph and Catherine...well, you'll have to make up your own mind.