Book Review: The Wife Between Us (2018) – The next Gone Girl?

The wife between Us
(Foto: Dokuemntasi pribadi Instagram @yunisaputri_)

I just finished ‘The Wife Between Us’. Meski judulnya seperti seolah seperti retaknya mahligai rumah tangga karena (((pelakor))), but this books offers more than that. Banyak yang kesel sama plot-twistnya buku ini, walaupun gue pribadi emang gak pengen terlalu anticipating. Soalnya penulisnya sendiri udah teasing dari awal: “assume nothing.”

Ironically, in my opinion the plot twist is not the strongest forte of this book. The book itself is divided into 3 parts and I could easily guess the first twist just before I finished the first part.

Menurut gue character study-nya yang bagus banget. The narrator is as unreliable as the characters, and I really hate the way so-called ‘protagonist’ can not be honest to the audience! I loathe the main protagonist (Vanessa) as much as she loathed herself, but unbelievably can relate to her. I have a soft spot for a story with a broken woman in it haha. I always can relate ;D
Banyak thought-provoking opinion soal marriage, bahas soal rasa takut gue dulu juga, ketika mau nikah; does being united mean oneself will dissolve until one fade away? Sub-theme soal pernikahan ini menurut gue penting banget. Memanfaatkan cliche soal perfect marriage; a white collars families, man who wears the pants, and trophy wife who lives in the big ass suburb house.

Despite the fact the plot twist didn’t work out for me, this book is well written. I like it when the authors take time to take us deeper to this fictional world; to be believable.

Some people said that the book is trying hard to be Gone Girl fused with The Girl on the Train. But I personally think it was the contrary; this book is trying hard to escape the influence from both books, but ultimately failing.
I have to admit the last part of the book is kinda let down to me.

I enjoy this book a lot because it was well written. But story-wise, I’m not sure. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5.

My favorite quote:

“I was happy, I think, but I wonder now if my memory is playing tricks on me. If it is giving me the gift of an illusion. We all layer them over our remembrances; the filters through which we want to see our lives.”

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