"A Reliable Wife"
by Robert Goolrick (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, ISBN 9781565125964,
$23.95)
The layers of deceit run deep in Robert Goolrick's "A Reliable Wife." Set in
1907 in a land where long winters drive residents to unthinkable acts, a
wealthy Wisconsin foundry owner gets more than he bargains for when he
orders a mail-order bride.
A colleague at Algonquin sent me the manuscript to "A Reliable Wife" in
October, and with it came with a request to let him know what I thought of
it. My initial response to the book and to my friend was, "I think I need a
cigarette." You see, underneath the solemn exterior of Ralph Truitt lies a
lascivious man. He can't walk down the street nor drive by a home without
contemplating the sex lives of those around him.
Truitt feels somewhat safe from his desires when he receives a reply to his
advertisement for "a reliable wife" along with the photo of a somewhat
homely girl. When he doesn't realize is that when Catherine Land replied to
the advertisement, she inserted a photo of her cousin instead of one of her
own. Truitt is surprised then to encounter a stunningly beautiful Catherine
as she steps off the train. And after she becomes his wife, Catherine is as
surprised as the reader to discover the sensual intensity of this quiet man.
Truitt owns the steel foundry in Truitt, Wisconsin. He supplies most of the
jobs, and as a result, all eyes are on him. He doesn't want to be played a
fool. But Catherine has been playing men for fools her entire life. When
responding to Ralph's ad for "a reliable wife" she already has a plan in
place to become a reliable (and wealthy) widow. Almost immediately she
begins poisoning him with arsenic. Somewhere along the line, however, she
begins to fall for the man.
"A Reliable Wife" is a great literary mystery and the perfect summer read.
With many secrets and many lies, it just might leave you asking for a match.
Review by
Beth Golay, May
7, 2009
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