“I found the perfect wife for my husband.”
I Liked My Life
by Abby Fabiaschi (debut)
©2017
St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 260
Agent: Elizabeth Winick Rubinstein
Genre: Mystery
First Person
Present Tense
Multiple Narrators
First, I think I may have messed up a few past entries. I may have used multiple points of view to mean multiple narrators. My apologies.
The story is told from three separate narrators. Each chapter has all three narrators and it’s easy to know who’s up at bat because they label the narrators.
We have Madeline (the deceased wife/mom), Eve (the daughter), and Brady (the husband/father).
From page 88 – Eve’s point of view:
Today is my grand finale at Wellesley High School. I didn’t think of it as a big deal until Paige stopped in on her run this morning to see how I was feeling. She seemed surprised to find me unfazed. I want to feel sentimental – I do – but my emotions peaced out with my mother. Now I’m just water and bones.
From page 1 – Madeline’s point of view:
I found the perfect wife for my husband. She won’t be as traditional as I was, which is good. She won’t be as intelligent either, but Brady endured twenty years of my unending intelligence. Under my tutelage he learned that kale lowers cholesterol, a little girl wanting to marry her daddy is normal, and no matter how many times you look up at the road, emailing while driving is no safer than drinking and driving. These insights were valuable at the time, but useless given our present circumstance.
From page 123 – Brady’s point of view:
Once I find the damn thing it’s easy to get into a rhythm with the outdoor sweeper. It’s nice to do something where the result is immediate, visible. Each time I extend the broom, dried leafs, (sic) sticks, and dead bugs move the hell out of my way. Cause and effect. I’m in a bit of a trance when Eve wanders outside searching for me.
Because this book is so well written, I even have an example of a smooth transition from backstory to present in one paragraph:
But I know better. Every alcoholic starts somewhere. There’s always a first; one moment where the line of what’s acceptable is crossed, motivated by trauma or boredom or both. (That’s the here and now). For my mother I picture it happening after one of our vacations on the Jersey shore. (The transition sentence from Now to Then) We rented the same house for a week each June, When the prices were lower because the water was still freezing. Our cottage was a revolving door of visitors who’d come up to celebrate and relax, then pass out on the couch overnight. Each day had a theme and it started at lunch – Mai Tai Monday, Tequila Tuesdays, Wildcard Wednesdays…it was the late seventies.
Another very well written book. I feel like I’ve been hitting the book lottery this year.
I highly recommend following this author and keeping tabs, because she’s very talented. Abby Fabiaschi
Have you read this book? I would love to know what you think?
NEXT WEEK: The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney