A review by kategci
Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum

3.0

Well now. I finished this book this morning after working nights and I dreamt about it. Last week, I completed Madame Bovary, so August has really been the month of adultery for me. Anna Benz, expat in chilly Switzerland is very unhappy and trying to fill the holes in her heart and soul by undertaking a series of affairs. She has been in Switzerland for almost ten years, is having trouble with the language, has not learned to drive and does not even have her own bank account. Her life in the 2000s is very similar to Madame Bovary's in the 1850s in terms of unhappiness and wanting more than she has. Her three children and husband are not enough to pull her out of her listless depression and psychotherapy is only slightly effective (it does not help if you withhold from your therapist). After a series of bad choices , Anna's life spirals out of control. Jill Alender Essbaum writes beautifully, making us feel Anna's sadness and despair. With a nod to Anna Karenina, another famous adulterer, Essbaum has written a novel that will stay with me.