‘Of the four of them, only three remained. And there was no going backwards from there.’Emily and Josephine have always shared everything. They’re sisters, flatmates, and best friends. It’s the two of them against the world.When Emily has the perfect wedding, and Josephine finds the perfect man, they know things will change forever. But nothing can prepare them for what, or who, one of them is … for what, or who, one of them is willing to give up for love.
Four people. Three couples. Two sisters. One unforgivable betrayal.
From the best-selling author of Missing Pieces comes a heart-wrenching story about family, loyalty, and obsession that will have you racing to the finish.
PRAISE FOR NOBODY’S WIFE
‘It’s astonishingly good. Breathtaking assured writing and a deftly told story about sisters and love with characters I can’t stop thinking about. Utterly sublime.’ — Clare Empson, author of Him
‘I felt every moment of this book. It was beautifully written, acutely observed, and utterly addictive. . . this is just stunning. I devoured it in twenty-four hours, and highly recommend.’ — Louise Beech, author of The Lion Tamer Who Lost
‘a beautifully crafted and deeply honest story of marriage and love.’ — Lauren North, author of The Perfect Betrayal
‘a heart-breaker of a tale that will stay with you long after reading it.’ — Cass Hunter, author of The After Wife
‘A heartbreaking page-turner of a read – deftly exploring the complexities of family relationships and the dark nature of obsession.’ — Isabel Ashdown, author of Little Sister
PRAISE FOR MISSING PIECES
‘A gripping, devastating, heart-stealing read.’ — Tamsin Grey, author of She’s Not There
‘Heartbreaking and hopeful.’ — Amanda Berriman, author of Home
‘Elegant, honest and breathtakingly beautiful.’ — Christina McDonald, author of The Night Olivia Fell
‘A stunning story of loss and survival. Beautifully written, heartbreaking and hopeful.’ — Francesca Jakobi, author of Bitter
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I raced through Laura Pearson’s Nobody’s Wife. A really good read about the dangers of loving the wrong people. Flawed and believable characters who make choices that made me want to rip them off the page and shout at them. A sad, quiet ending that will stay with me for a long time.
An honest dissection of betrayal and its consequences. Read for its nuanced reflections on human frailty and Laura Pearson’s skilful and compelling writing.
Laura Pearson crafts this story with quite a few layers.
You have two sisters, Emily and Josephine, who have had a “we’re in this together” mindset since Josephine’s birth. They share a mother but have different fathers, which is another layer. Emily’s father passed away, whereas Josephine’s abandoned her and her family. The sister’s relationship is almost symbiotic. At one point during Emily’s wedding to Michael, he finds himself wishing his wife would look for him the way she looks for Josephine.
You have Emily’s marriage. As Linda Pearson relates the moments leading up to it, the ceremony, and the reception, you find yourself hoping Emily will be happy yet suspecting she is settling for what she thinks marriage should be. One thing is imminently clear: Michael loves her, and he deserves a wife who cherishes him as much as he cherishes Emily.
You have Josephine, still single but in a new relationship. She meets Jack and is instantly taken with him. He’s a little slower to feel the connection, but he’s good looking, charming, and creative. You can see potential for Josephine.
You have friendships. Josephine has a close bond with her friend Ben, and Jack and Michael form a friendship borne of both being writers. Well, Jack does so professionally, with Michael writing a book he hopes will be published.
Within this come the betrayals. The blurb gives you a clue: “Four people. Three couples.” I give Linda Pearson credit for making the betrayal feel almost organic. You can understand how it happens, and you might even sort of root for this couple. Yes, you know that two people will be terribly hurt, but if their relationships aren’t fulfilling to them–if they are not receiving what they need–then is it really “wrong” for them to be together?
The problem is that this book occasionally falls into a little melodrama here and there, and with four points of view, you sometimes find yourself wishing you could hurry up and get to one of the cheaters. Sometimes I found myself wondering what this book would have been like had it been written just from those two perspectives. On the other hand, you do get to know these people pretty well, and you feel like they’re fairly well developed.
Parts of this book made me cry. One character in particular is written heartbreakingly. There is a scene where this person goes to visit his/her parents, and the ache he/she feels just about rips you apart.
The ending might upset a few people. I can see why Linda Pearson felt she had to give the ending she does, but I also can see why some readers want something different. If you read this one, I’d love to know your thoughts.
I felt every moment of this book. It was beautifully written, acutely observed, and utterly addictive. . . this is just stunning. I devoured it in twenty-four hours, and highly recommend.
Laura Pearson’s second novel, Nobody’s Wife, focuses on two sisters, Emily and Josephine, who have always shared everything. They’re not just sisters. They’re also roommates and best friends. It’s always been the two of them against the world.
But change is inevitable. As the story opens, Emily has a perfect wedding to Michael. He’s older than Emily, but adores and is committed to her. He’s solid and safe, if not exciting. His first novel was a success, but he’s been struggling to complete his second book, writing travel articles and book reviews in the interim.
Josephine finds the perfect man. Jack works in the local bookstore and writes short stories, He lives in a shabby apartment. His feelings for Josephine are genuine, but not as strong as her feelings for him.
Emily and Josephine are utterly unprepared for what happens after Josephine brings Jack to dinner at Emily and Michael’s home. Jack realizes that Michael is the writer whose work he admires, and the two men strike up a friendship. Michael agrees to read Jack’s work.
But something else happens on that fateful night. Something is set in motion that will change all of their lives over the course of the coming year.
Laura Pearson elevates what could have been a melodramatic, tawdry tale about infidelity, betrayal, and obsession into a complex, spellbinding examination of the relationship between the sisters and the far-reaching consequences that can result from acting upon attraction and passion.
Nobody’s Wife is a character study crafted with precision, believability, and emotional authenticity. Although her characters make ill-advised decisions there are no villains in this story. Rather, Pearson examines their motivations, desires, and actions with sensitivity. As a result, the characters are empathetic — even relatable — and Pearson challenges her readers to contemplate what they would do if they found themselves in the same unenviable situation.
One unforgivable betrayal compels the story forward and forces each character to evaluate what matters mot to him/her — family, loyalty, and doing the right thing vs. fulfillment of desires, surrender to romantic feelings, and respite from feeling unfulfilled.
The prologue reveals that by the end of the book only three of the four will remain and there will be “no going backwards from there.” Through Pearson’s restrained writing style, she takes readers on her characters’ journey to that tragic point sans judgment. Rather, events transpire in a logical manner as the consequences of their choices are revealed.
The result is a compelling drama at the core of which is the complex, multi-layered relationship of Emily and Josephine, and the question of whether they can ever reach a point of forgiveness and resolution.
Nobody’s Wife a worthy successor to Pearson’s stunning debut work, Missing Pieces.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.