A review by serendipitysbooks
The Disobedient Wife by Annika Milisic-Stanley

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

 The Disobedient Wife was an absorbing read. Set in Tajikistan it tells the interconnected story of two women. Harriet is a British expat, married to an older man who works as a diplomat. Nargis is a Tajikistani woman, struggling to support her extended family and socially somewhat ostracised because she left her abusive second husband. She works part-time as a maid/nanny for Harriet. While Nargis was immediately likeable - hardworking, wise to the ways of the world, yet still kind and generous, Harriet was initially much less so, coming across as entitled, self-indulgent and wilfully ignorant. Thankfully Harriet improved over the course of the novel, much of it due to her changing relationship with Nargis, which became closer and more friendship-like. The disparities in their circumstances were pronounced, yet there were also similarities. Both were mothers and both suffered (albeit in vastly different ways) due to the actions of their husbands. I loved the insights this novel provided into life in Tajikistan, especially the city of Dushanbe, and that it was focused on the lives of women, something I found hard to find in books from the Central Asian region. I also loved the way in which both women were eventually able to use their resources and strength to make a better life for themselves and their children. 
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