The Mad Wife by Meagan Church

 

Summary (from the publisher): From bestselling author Meagan Church comes a haunting exploration of identity, motherhood, and the suffocating grip of societal expectations that will leave you questioning the lives we build―and the lies we live. 

They called it hysteria. She called it survival.

Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the perfect 1950s housewife. Despite the tragic memories that haunt her and the weight of exhausting expectations, she keeps her husband happy, her household running, and her gelatin salads the talk of the neighborhood. But after she gives birth to her second child, Lulu's carefully crafted life begins to unravel.

When a new neighbor, Bitsy, moves in, Lulu suspects that something darker lurks behind the woman's constant smile. As her fixation on Bitsy deepens, Lulu is drawn into a web of unsettling truths that threaten to expose the cracks in her own life. The more she uncovers about Bitsy, the more she questions everything she thought she knew―and soon, others begin questioning her sanity. But is Lulu truly losing her mind? Or is she on the verge of discovering a reality too terrifying to accept?

In the vein of The Bell Jar and The Hours, The Mad Wife weaves domestic drama with psychological suspense, so poignant and immersive, you won't want to put it down.

Review: A huge thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lulu has spent every year of her marriage trying to confirm to the standards of the perfect 1950s housewife. While she doesn't adhere to the recommended daily chore schedule, she prides herself on how well she her household runs, and her Jello salads are famous in the neighborhood. But after the birth of her second child, her life begins to slowly unravel. 

This novel is heavy on domestic drama and psychological suspense. It's about the ways in which women are not heard and have their voice silenced. Lulu is lucky in that she has a husband who loves her, but even Lulu is powerless when he decides that she is losing a grip on her sanity. It is a haunting realization that he could give approval for her to be locked up or even worse, suffer permanent alteration, as a result of existing treatment practices at the time. It is also a powerful take on misdiagnose and the danger of medical carelessness. 

This was a powerful story about how vital it is that women have their own voices. The tension built so beautifully as the novel progressed and there are several big reveals as the story goes on that truly surprised me. This novel was truly more of a thriller than I originally anticipated. 

I will say, there were some plot points that didn't quite work for me. Throughout the novel, Lulu is increasingly obsessed with the new neighbor across the street. She learns that Bitsy has suffered some trauma and undergone treatments for her mental distress. In fact, it is Bitsy's story that helps lead Lulu's husband to believe Lulu needs help. But I was confused by Bitsy's obsession with Bitsy's house that went beyond the idle curiosity anyone has at the thought of new neighbors. We never really learn many details of Bitsy's whole story and then she fades from the story before they can be resolved. 

Similarly, the neighbors in this story, Lulu's son, and her relationship with her husband somehow don't feel quite real or perhaps more accurately, aren't fleshed out enough. Much is made about the stilted conditions between Lulu and her husband, problems that seem to stretch back years. But then in the end we're supposed to believe he truly loves her, was mistaken, and everything can be great between them again. There are also a lot of references made to Lulu's family and the tragic situation surrounding her brother, who contracted polio as a child. I kept waiting for this subplot to become a bigger part of the story, but it was basically just dropped and never referenced again. And why did her mother never come to visit after the birth of her second baby or when her husband started growing concerned about her? It seemed very unnatural that her mother at the very least didn't call to check on her during such a critical and vulnerable time.

This reminded me a lot of In the Family Way by Laney Katz Becker with its similar themes of suburban housewife and the restrictions placed on women in the 50s/60s. 

Stars: 3.5