Scan barcode
A review by _onemorechapter_
The Best Way to Bury Your Husband by Alexia Casale
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
๐ป.๐พ: Domestic Violence
๐ญThis is my first read by Casale. I always loved to explore new authors and although this wasn't a best book but itโs an original, entertaining yet thought-provoking read. I would definitely read more from the author.
The Best Way to Bury Your Husband is a darkly comedic look at a very real problem the world faces - domestic violence. This particular story centres around the COVID pandemic lockdown (circa 2020-2021) where cases of domestic violence - typically males being violent towards females - saw a global increase. An impactful, hard-hitting story about the suffering of domestic violence victims during the hard trials of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This story was a tough read and detailed the lives of 4 women who were stuck with abusive husbands in a time they couldnโt escape and who murdered their husbands, some of them accidentally. As a result, the women forge a bond during the lockdown to protect their secrets, dispose of their bodies, and move on with their lives.
The story starts very abruptly and continues to be very intense throughout. Even though there is a lot of humour involved in the story, it only works as a way to take your mind away from the awful stories these women had to go through.
But this is more a story about women from diverse backgrounds with similar backstories; how they found themselves in an abusive marriage, their reasons for staying, and how having a supportive network of like-minded individuals reminds you that you're not alone.
What I found the most irritating is that the novel initially is written from different points of view. This meant we were getting the thoughts and feelings of the four main women in the story. However, later it switched to just Sallyโs point of view, and thatโs when it became a little more stagnant and formulaic. I think if it continued being a split narrative, it would have been stronger as some of the other characters had more to say.
I did enjoy this read but for me, it was a little bit far-fetched at times. Although humorous at times, it also fell flat on occasions and I felt that it dragged somewhat. I also found that it would be really intense at times but then die down and become quite slow to read. There was also a section of the book that seemed very out of place and went on for way too long without making much sense. Plot holes became bigger and the situation became unbelievable to the point where it ruined what was such a solid start. However, the last 100 pages of the book picked up and the story flew by. The tension I felt when they were going through with their plans and whether they were going to succeed.
Overall, this story was quite good and focused on such an important subject that isnโt spoken about enough. The concept of this book is brilliant, and the intent behind it is incredibly impactful because it highlights a really important issue, however, the execution wasnโt without its faults.
I was left saddened that this wasnโt better.
๐.๐ It's more of a tutorial than a book!!!
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญ.25
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 3.91 (577)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐: Dark Comedy, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes
There are some very poignant and significant moments as the women in this story realise that theyโre no longer being repressed and can think about living how they want. Itโs a very well-written and emotive story and I wouldnโt hesitate to recommend this.
๐ธ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐:
โIโll just have to hope fortune favors the desperate as well as the brave because Iโm not sorry itโs you instead of me.โ
โSomething is a whole lot more than nothingโ
"Courage calls to courage everywhere.โ โ
โOf course not. Weโre not fools for wanting love, only for lying to ourselves about whether weโve found it.โ
โIf thereโs one thing lifeโs taught me, itโs that there is always time to rediscover happiness, and a garden is a fine place to start.โ
"All I know is that today I figured out what life I want to live now: one where I turn pain into power, weakness into courage, and helplessness into strength."
๐ญThis is my first read by Casale. I always loved to explore new authors and although this wasn't a best book but itโs an original, entertaining yet thought-provoking read. I would definitely read more from the author.
The Best Way to Bury Your Husband is a darkly comedic look at a very real problem the world faces - domestic violence. This particular story centres around the COVID pandemic lockdown (circa 2020-2021) where cases of domestic violence - typically males being violent towards females - saw a global increase. An impactful, hard-hitting story about the suffering of domestic violence victims during the hard trials of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This story was a tough read and detailed the lives of 4 women who were stuck with abusive husbands in a time they couldnโt escape and who murdered their husbands, some of them accidentally. As a result, the women forge a bond during the lockdown to protect their secrets, dispose of their bodies, and move on with their lives.
The story starts very abruptly and continues to be very intense throughout. Even though there is a lot of humour involved in the story, it only works as a way to take your mind away from the awful stories these women had to go through.
But this is more a story about women from diverse backgrounds with similar backstories; how they found themselves in an abusive marriage, their reasons for staying, and how having a supportive network of like-minded individuals reminds you that you're not alone.
What I found the most irritating is that the novel initially is written from different points of view. This meant we were getting the thoughts and feelings of the four main women in the story. However, later it switched to just Sallyโs point of view, and thatโs when it became a little more stagnant and formulaic. I think if it continued being a split narrative, it would have been stronger as some of the other characters had more to say.
I did enjoy this read but for me, it was a little bit far-fetched at times. Although humorous at times, it also fell flat on occasions and I felt that it dragged somewhat. I also found that it would be really intense at times but then die down and become quite slow to read. There was also a section of the book that seemed very out of place and went on for way too long without making much sense. Plot holes became bigger and the situation became unbelievable to the point where it ruined what was such a solid start. However, the last 100 pages of the book picked up and the story flew by. The tension I felt when they were going through with their plans and whether they were going to succeed.
Overall, this story was quite good and focused on such an important subject that isnโt spoken about enough. The concept of this book is brilliant, and the intent behind it is incredibly impactful because it highlights a really important issue, however, the execution wasnโt without its faults.
I was left saddened that this wasnโt better.
๐.๐ It's more of a tutorial than a book!!!
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญ.25
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 3.91 (577)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐: Dark Comedy, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes
There are some very poignant and significant moments as the women in this story realise that theyโre no longer being repressed and can think about living how they want. Itโs a very well-written and emotive story and I wouldnโt hesitate to recommend this.
๐ธ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐:
โIโll just have to hope fortune favors the desperate as well as the brave because Iโm not sorry itโs you instead of me.โ
โSomething is a whole lot more than nothingโ
"Courage calls to courage everywhere.โ โ
โOf course not. Weโre not fools for wanting love, only for lying to ourselves about whether weโve found it.โ
โIf thereโs one thing lifeโs taught me, itโs that there is always time to rediscover happiness, and a garden is a fine place to start.โ
"All I know is that today I figured out what life I want to live now: one where I turn pain into power, weakness into courage, and helplessness into strength."