Plot or Premise

A wife of a polygamist starts to wonder about his other two wives and seeks them out, only to find a potentially dark secret.

What I Liked

The original premise was unusual and intriguing, and the writer’s use of an unreliable narrator is creative.

What I Didn’t Like

The original premise is interesting enough for you to want to find out about a three-wife relationship, where all three wives are kept separate. For most people, the immediate reaction would be, “Why would any woman agree to this ridiculously unbalanced relationship?”, and for the story to work, you have to see it “working”. Except it never does. For example, you don’t see why the protagonist would agree, nor given the fact she is neurotic and alone for four days of the week, she never tries to find out info about the other two. Really? Add in some obvious and not-so-obvious gaslighting themes that go nowhere, plus a ridiculous fantasy ending, and it’s hard to finish. More importantly, she’s a nurse who learns medical info from a lawyer; she is comforting a potential abuse victim and when she starts looking for the door, the narrator puts her hand on her arm to comfort her / encourage her to stay; and she describes herself in one scene as plain Jane and then later as reasonably attractive. I felt ripped off with the ending, not rewarded for making it through. Thank heavens I get a “badge” for this in my reading challenge hehehe.

The Bottom Line

Unreliable narrator, inconsistent story, ridiculous ending.