A review by ashleysilver7
Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum

3.0

It's clear Jill Alexander Essbaum is a talented writer....I would have given her more stars, but the subject matter of the book was a little confusing at times, and outright depressing. It's kind of like Gillian Flynn, in that there's a lot of talent there, but the subject matter can be disturnbing. The protagonist of the book, Anna, is an American expatriot living in Switzerland, married to a Swiss man, and has three children. She is, admittedly, "a good wife, mostly." However, she is extremely unhappy, and much of the book revolves around discussions with her psychiatrist, her German class teacher, and conversations with a lover from her past. It's very hard for me to relate to the lead character, and I can only think that's a good thing. Nevertheless, I want Anna to succeed and have a breakthrough, so that's what made me give the book 3/5 starts instead of 2/5. Saying anything more would give the book away, and I don't want to do that....

At the end of the book, Jill A. E. wrote her thanks, explained her sources, etc. And then, she mentioned that the conversations with the psychiatrist were fictional, and that "if anyone is as unhappy as Anna, I hope you seek help." That sums up this novel perfectly - it's about an extremely unhappy housewife. If you are interested in a more uplifting book, I do not recommend this.