Cover image from Goodreads.com
This is a novel about a disintegrating marriage. Jane, an aspiring writer, meets John, a filmmaker and they hit it off immediately. There are some red flags, but that’s expected. Nobody is perfect, after all. But as the novel progresses it becomes clear that John is not what he seemed while dating. Nevertheless, Jane marries him and they have a child.
Jane takes over all of the domestic duties, putting her career on the back burner while John reaches for success. He starts companies and is fired from them. They move five times in seven years for his work, each move becoming more and more difficult for Jane.
While she sees that John isn’t helpful and is in fact a grown-up child that expects his wife to look after him, she doesn’t leave him. She speaks of leaving him later, after the child is older, but doesn’t take any steps to do so. Instead John is the one to leave, having began a relationship with someone else.
I found this frustrating. While I could identify with her quandary – it’s easier to stay than it is to leave – I think I would have preferred reading about how she left and the fallout of that decision instead of feeling like Jane was just tugged along through life.
Not naming the child in the novel is an odd choice. This made the child seem like a tangential part of the narrative, not an active participant, which keeps the character at a distance from the reader.
Overall the novel was a good read, but one I’m likely to forget over time, not remember.
Should Be Writing 