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_meganrose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
WTF did I just read? For a debut novel, it was impressive. This was my face the entire time while reading it 😧😳 No plot, just vibes. And by vibes I mean a look inside a horrifically insane woman’s mind who is chronically obsessed with her obscenely average husband for no apparent reason. Disturbingly fascinating read. 3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Infidelity
Moderate: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
mikaylachavez's review
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
vbarsi's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think it's fair to say I mostly enjoyed the first half of the book, listening to the stream of consciousness of what seems to be a self-tortured woman who is devoted to her husband in a way that I would describe as pathological. Despite this woman constantly twisting herself into knots and beating up on herself, I was intrigued to find out where the story was going because listening to her constant critical evaluation of her life and her husband's behavior was entertaining... until it started to become tedious and unattractive.
The main character of the story has what many would characterize as an enviable life, being married to a wealthy and successful man and living a posh lifestyle. But I can only take so much of a manic personality that's laced with heavy doses of what seems to be absurdly unhealthy self-recrimination. I stuck with this book and followed the main character down an ugly rabbit hole hoping there would be a destination, or satisfying landing point, that rewarded me with some kind of emotional payoff. I did not feel rewarded when I got to the end of the main character's story arc.
I will admit the twist at the end caught me off guard and it was a nice little sleight of hand by the author. Unfortunately, for me, by the time I turned the last page, metaphorically speaking, I was not a happy camper and could only shake my head. I will concede that many readers have been delighted with the story and resolution contained in this book, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Granted, the writing/translation is well done, but the story just did not do it for me.
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator, Kiiri Sandy. The main character does not have an easy or pleasant personality to present to the reader and despite that, Ms. Sandy made the story infinitely more digestible than if I'd read it on the page and had to come up with a voice for this character in my head.
The main character of the story has what many would characterize as an enviable life, being married to a wealthy and successful man and living a posh lifestyle. But I can only take so much of a manic personality that's laced with heavy doses of what seems to be absurdly unhealthy self-recrimination. I stuck with this book and followed the main character down an ugly rabbit hole hoping there would be a destination, or satisfying landing point, that rewarded me with some kind of emotional payoff. I did not feel rewarded when I got to the end of the main character's story arc.
I will admit the twist at the end caught me off guard and it was a nice little sleight of hand by the author. Unfortunately, for me, by the time I turned the last page, metaphorically speaking, I was not a happy camper and could only shake my head. I will concede that many readers have been delighted with the story and resolution contained in this book, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Granted, the writing/translation is well done, but the story just did not do it for me.
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator, Kiiri Sandy. The main character does not have an easy or pleasant personality to present to the reader and despite that, Ms. Sandy made the story infinitely more digestible than if I'd read it on the page and had to come up with a voice for this character in my head.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity and Emotional abuse
Minor: Stalking, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Mental illness
opplecopter's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Infidelity
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Alcohol
Minor: Self harm and Suicide
likeagilmoregirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Instead of recounting the premise of this novel as other reviews have done very well, I would simply like to say that this novel is not going to be for everyone, but it is worth the attempt.
The narrator in this novel (the wife/Obsessor) can only be described as unwell and unlikable. I found this stream-of-consciousness narration difficult to get through at times, yet I felt just connected enough to keep reading. The wife is awful, but familiar. She is representative of the contradictory lives that people who identify as women are expected to lead. And because of that, it was easy to relate to her and even easier to hate her.
For a majority of this work, I expected to rate this 3.5 stars. Until the last 30 pages. The final chapter and the epilogue completely change the perspective we have of the wife’s actions with an abrupt, yet not completely unsurprising turn. Was an epilogue really worth treading through the entire novel? For me, absolutely, it was well worth it. This was a 5 star read for me and I can’t wait to read it again.
The narrator in this novel (the wife/Obsessor) can only be described as unwell and unlikable. I found this stream-of-consciousness narration difficult to get through at times, yet I felt just connected enough to keep reading. The wife is awful, but familiar. She is representative of the contradictory lives that people who identify as women are expected to lead. And because of that, it was easy to relate to her and even easier to hate her.
For a majority of this work, I expected to rate this 3.5 stars. Until the last 30 pages. The final chapter and the epilogue completely change the perspective we have of the wife’s actions with an abrupt, yet not completely unsurprising turn. Was an epilogue really worth treading through the entire novel? For me, absolutely, it was well worth it. This was a 5 star read for me and I can’t wait to read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Gaslighting, and Infidelity
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Pregnancy and Infertility
pookiee's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
this is a slice-of-life following a week in the perspective of a woman who's seriously obsessed with her husband, constantly overanalyzing every one of his words and actions and taking great pains to act a certain way so as to influence him or punish him. it has a bit of the energy of the domestic thriller but is not really a thriller like storygraph says; it's pretty monotonous.
the narration was super interesting to me, despite it being mostly just her inner thoughts. she's uniquely unhinged without showing it on the outside. i don't know that all her musings are true (are being the giver or the receiver of love really the only options?), but they all made me stop and think. i did not like the epilogue—it felt like a cheap and easy ending—but even it made me really think.
reading it in a foreign/its original language made it better cuz it forced me to slow down a little to absorb and ponder everything. also, writing always looks better in a foreign language cuz i don't know enough to critique it. i'm proud i was able to get thru it w/o much trouble while learning a bunch of new terms!
the narration was super interesting to me, despite it being mostly just her inner thoughts. she's uniquely unhinged without showing it on the outside. i don't know that all her musings are true (are being the giver or the receiver of love really the only options?), but they all made me stop and think. i did not like the epilogue—it felt like a cheap and easy ending—but even it made me really think.
reading it in a foreign/its original language made it better cuz it forced me to slow down a little to absorb and ponder everything. also, writing always looks better in a foreign language cuz i don't know enough to critique it. i'm proud i was able to get thru it w/o much trouble while learning a bunch of new terms!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
michbrito's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse
stellahadz's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"Love makes you crazy" is a cliché that's been done to death in a million books, movies, and songs, but Mon mari tackles it in a unique way.
This book is brilliant - the writing is detailed and clever, just toeing the line of satire, and captures the book's premise and the narrator's interiority perfectly. Ventura paints a vivid picture of the most extreme manifestations of the expectations that society places on romantic love and marriage. The unnamed narrator, although not a great person, is an incredibly well-written and complex character. There are aspects of her neurosis that are deeply relatable and make me feel sad for her (anxious attachment, anyone?), but she also behaves in despicable and downright abusive ways. She's a deeply disturbed person who becomes more and more unhinged as the story progresses, but she embodies what so many of us have been conditioned to believe about what it means to be in love.
Personally, I think the book could have been shorter, and I'm not sure why it's labeled as a thriller, but aside from that it's an excellent read. Highly recommend.
This book is brilliant - the writing is detailed and clever, just toeing the line of satire, and captures the book's premise and the narrator's interiority perfectly. Ventura paints a vivid picture of the most extreme manifestations of the expectations that society places on romantic love and marriage. The unnamed narrator, although not a great person, is an incredibly well-written and complex character. There are aspects of her neurosis that are deeply relatable and make me feel sad for her (anxious attachment, anyone?), but she also behaves in despicable and downright abusive ways. She's a deeply disturbed person who becomes more and more unhinged as the story progresses, but she embodies what so many of us have been conditioned to believe about what it means to be in love.
Personally, I think the book could have been shorter, and I'm not sure why it's labeled as a thriller, but aside from that it's an excellent read. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
sydresnik's review
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship