#51

#51 A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

This book surprised me. After I was about 100 pages into it, I posted to Goodreads and Facebook "This is one twisted tale." I still believe that...this is dark and twisty folks, but I now see that it is more than just that. The characters have been marinating in my mind this week and are more than simply one-dimensional, freaky, heartless beings. (Although there's a lot of that going on too.)

The story follows three characters: Ralph, Catherine and Antonio during the early 1900s. Most of the story occurs in a bleak, isolated, often snow-covered Wisconsin town. Ralph is looking for a "reliable wife" and places an ad in the newspaper. Catherine responds and heads to Wisconsin. (So much easier than what most of us go through to find a mate huh?) Come to find out, Catherine is quite a bit more than she seems, and by quite a bit I mean she's a very bad girl with very bad intentions. However, it's not all her doing...enter Antonio. Antonio, tall, dark and handsome, has a direct connection to Ralph and a reason to wish him harm. (Ssshh...I not tell you how...) Much to her surprise, Catherine does grow to love Ralph and has to decide if her initial intentions for his demise should continue.

These are not good characters friends. They are horrible to one another and themselves. Destructive, hurtful, downright naughty. But, doesn't everyone deserve love and kindness and forgiveness?

I'd recommend this one friends, but be prepared for some surprises along the way. And if you're like me, the biggest surprise came at the end when I actually started to root for these guys.

A friend of mine suggested to I read Goolrick's memoir The End of the World As We Know It because much of his inspiration for this novel came from his real life. I think I may need to check into it. Let's be honest. What's a good story without some good drama and conflict?