August 9, 2013 / Leslie

Review – Audiobook: The Silent Wife

The Silent Wife
by A.S.A. Harrison
Narrated by Karen White, Donald Corren

Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Publish Date: June 25, 2013
Format: Audio, 8 hours | 57 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Rating: 3½ of 5

Publisher’s Synopsis:

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept.

My Thoughts:

Never married and with no children, Todd and Jodi have lived together for 20 years. She passively tolerates his serial infidelity and he provides her with an affluent lifestyle in a Chicago lakefront downtown condo. This works for them until he decides to leave her for a younger woman. They are not married; there is nothing she can do; or is there?

The story is told from both Todd and Jodi’s perspective in alternating chapters. They are at times frustratingly unlikable people. Both are complex, flawed characters who in the end deserved each other in many ways. At times I could relate to some of what Jodi was feeling, but Todd was just a horrible person.

The first half of the book was compelling as we delved into the psyches of each of these characters, all the while watching their relationship unravel. While the second half was good, it got a little too introspective for my tastes with the characters rambling on and on justifying their feelings and actions in their own minds. The more they whined and made excuses, the less I liked them. But that was the point, we weren’t supposed to like them or always believe them.

What I did enjoy immensely was the Chicago setting. I worked in the city for many years and live in the suburbs. The buildings, streets, shops and restaurants mentioned were all familiar places. And if you know Chicago, the locations they frequent fit with the personalities of the characters.

I listened to the audiobook which was performed by Karen White and Donald Corren. Karen White’s voice for Jodi was perfect for the character even though I found it flat and, in a way, annoying. But her interpretation was how I would expect Jodi to sound. The dual narrators worked well for this story and helps the listener remember which point of view we are listening to. The alternating perspectives kept the story moving at a nice pace.

This book has been compared to Gone Girl, but other than the psychological aspects I didn’t find them to be similar. Jodi is nothing like Amy and the ending here is somewhat predictable. If you like psychological drama (it’s not really a ‘thriller’), this is a fast read and an easy to listen to audiobook.