The first thing to say about My Husband The Stranger by Rebecca Done is that it isn’t really my kind of book.
While it’s a domestic drama — which I usually like — it’s stronger on relationships than on plot. So, it’s not as much of a page turner as stories that are stronger suspense.
It’s about a woman whose husband’s personality changed following a brain injury.
Molly is a copywriter. She met her husband Alex and his twin brother Graham in a pub. Molly and Alex fell in love, married and were blissfully happy until Alex fell down some stairs at Graham’s flat.
The fall caused an injury that changed Alex’s personality. Where once he was kind and loving, after the fall he became moody and volatile. He and Molly often fight.
Coping with changed circumstances
Essentially, the story is about Molly’s difficulties living in a changed situation. While she still loves Alex, her life is different and she finds it hard to cope. She’s the breadwinner and also has to keep the house running smoothly. She runs into problems at work because she’s often late when things go wrong at home. Her boss is unsympathetic and although a colleague covers for her, she’s on a warning for turning up late and missing some appointments.
If you enjoy novels about relationships, there are certainly moments in My Husband The Stranger that will strike a chord. Who hasn’t had a failed relationship and wondered what might have happened if instead of getting involved at the outset, you had simply smiled and walked away?
But the pace of this story is slow and, while there is some mystery in the plot, it’s not until about two thirds of the way into the novel that things begin to get interesting.
The suspense has to do with Alex’s relationship with his twin brother. Once the focus shifts in this direction, the action picks up making the last third of My Husband The Stranger a better read.
My Husband The Stranger by Rebecca Done is published by Penguin.
[Disclosure: I received an Advance Review Copy via Netgalley.]