This book is the current selection for my book club. Don't let the title fool you. This book is full of sex, obscene wealth, drugs, sex, murder, prostitution, deception, seduction, madness and passion. Did I mention sex?It takes place in 1907 in bitter cold rural Wisconsin. The book begins in a tiny Wisconsin town with Ralph Truitt waiting on the train platform for his mail order bride. He owns everything and everybody in town and they all hate him. His soon to be bride, Catherine, is absolutely nothing like she's portrayed herself in her letters. In fact, she's bringing arsenic, hidden away in her bag, because she plans to slowly poison Ralph and become a wealthy widow.
In fact, Ralph almost dies on the carriage ride he and Catherine make from the train station back to his mansion but it's not Catherine's fault. This time.
"A Reliable Wife" was written by Robert Goolrick. I love his incredible writing style. We learn more about Ralph and Catherine's interior lives, i.e., what they're thinking, than about what they're doing. And they're doing plenty.
All of the characters are crazy; psychologically damaged beyond repair. Also, they're bad. They're either having sex or trying to kill each other. Or both at the same time. An insight into Ralph's behavior (and angst) comes when he was a small child and asked his deeply religious monster of a mother what hell is like. He wanted to know because she constantly told him that's where he was headed. His mother answered by plunging her sewing needle into his hand, all the way to the bone. Then told him it feels
like that - forever!
I thought the only good, healthy characters where Mr. and Mrs, Larsen, the caretakers. Until Mr. Larsen whacked off his hand with an ax and they carted him off to the insane asylum.
I have a feeling that this novel is full of deep symbolism and is presenting some sort of message. Can't wait to attend the book club meeting so somebody can tell me what it is.
Some readers think this book has a happy ending. I don't think so. These two are still crazy to the end. My advice to the baby on the way is to get out of Wisconsin as soon as possible.
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