📖 Overview
Thursday is in a polygamous marriage arrangement where she shares her husband with two other wives, though she has never met them and knows them only as "Monday" and "Tuesday." She accepts this unconventional setup until she discovers a scrap of information about one of the other wives that makes her question everything.
As Thursday begins investigating her husband's other relationships, she uncovers disturbing inconsistencies and starts to doubt not only her marriage but her own grasp on reality. Her search for answers leads her down an increasingly dangerous path that puts her stability and safety at risk.
What begins as domestic suspense transforms into a psychological thriller that explores themes of truth, perception, and the stories we tell ourselves about love and marriage. The novel challenges assumptions about relationships and trust while keeping readers guessing until the final pages.
👀 Reviews
Readers describe this psychological thriller as fast-paced and gripping in the first half, but express frustration with the ending. Many note they couldn't put it down for the initial chapters.
Liked:
- Quick, engaging start
- Fresh take on polygamy concept
- Unpredictable twists
- Strong narrative voice
- Compelling unreliable narrator
Disliked:
- Confusing and unsatisfying conclusion
- Plot holes in final act
- Mental health themes felt mishandled
- Too many unrealistic coincidences
- Last-minute character revelations
Ratings:
Goodreads: 3.7/5 (189,000+ ratings)
Amazon: 4.1/5 (31,000+ ratings)
Book of the Month Club: 3.5/5
"The first 75% had me hooked, then it went off the rails," notes one common Goodreads review sentiment. Amazon reviewers frequently mention "loving the concept but hating the execution." Multiple readers compared it to Gone Girl and Behind Closed Doors, though most felt it didn't match those titles' quality.
📚 Similar books
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
A woman discovers her perfect marriage conceals dark secrets that trap her in a psychological prison.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides A criminal psychotherapist works with a woman who shot her husband and hasn't spoken since.
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine A calculating woman schemes to replace another man's wife, leading to revelations about marriage and power.
Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney A woman wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there, forcing her to unravel truths about her marriage and identity.
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen Multiple perspectives reveal layers of deception in a story about a marriage, a replacement wife, and revenge.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides A criminal psychotherapist works with a woman who shot her husband and hasn't spoken since.
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine A calculating woman schemes to replace another man's wife, leading to revelations about marriage and power.
Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney A woman wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there, forcing her to unravel truths about her marriage and identity.
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen Multiple perspectives reveal layers of deception in a story about a marriage, a replacement wife, and revenge.
🤔 Interesting facts
🔹 Author Tarryn Fisher wrote "The Wives" in just 30 days during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), though she spent several additional months editing and refining the manuscript.
🔹 The book sparked significant debate among readers due to its unreliable narrator technique, with many readers forming opposing theories about the true nature of events even after finishing the novel.
🔹 "The Wives" was a top pick for numerous book subscription boxes in 2019 and became an instant bestseller on both Amazon and Publishers Weekly lists.
🔹 Fisher drew inspiration for the polygamous marriage concept from real-life stories of plural marriages in Seattle, where part of the novel is set.
🔹 The author purposely wrote certain scenes to be interpreted differently upon a second reading, creating what she calls "dual-reality passages" that take on new meaning once readers know the full story.