The Wives, by Tarryn Fisher: We've found our new writer obsession, and it is Tarryn Fisher!

Hey!  We got our first ARC to review for you.  We're so excited!

The Wives, by new fave writer Tarryn Fisher isn't due out until this December (making it a fantastic gift for the bookworm in your life), but we wanted to review it now so you'd be looking forward to it.

We discovered Tarryn Fisher when her book Mud Vein was gifted to us by one of her devoted fans.  It's a hard book to read, full of feelings and heartbreak, but also hope, and we loved it. Then, we read Marrow, which isn't exactly the sequel, but it really is. Loved it, too. Next came F*ck Love, Atheists Who Kneel and Pray (not a religious book, btw), and then The Wives.

[NOTE: There are more books by this fantastic and highly original writer who proclaims "The Rise of the Villain" as a way to celebrate everything about ourselves, including the fact that we're not perfect and that there may be things driving us in our lives that others can't see. We're working on getting to those books, too, but have you seen our TBR?  OMG.]

REVIEW:

I think this book is a good story and Tarryn Fisher is definitely a good writer. That said, I had a few issues with this book, despite the fact that I actually really liked it. I also found myself, after the first chapter, DYING to know what was going to happen! Seriously. I had to force myself to not skip the end and find out everything, and I'm glad I did because I'd have missed out on a fabulous story.

Image in you're the wife of a man who has two other wives. How long would you be willing to go without knowing who the other women are and what they're like? Could you accept that you alone are not enough and allow things to continue unchanged? What might you be willing to do to have all of your questions answered, and what if that led to the confirmation of your fears, too? 

I found the main female character to be difficult to like and relate to. I simply could not empathize with or relate to her in her relationship. Things happen that I can sympathize with, but by the end of the book, I really didn't like her any better. That's not a bar to enjoying the book and the story, though; a lot of characters are unlikable and that's often the point. I have disliked a lot of main characters but their stories are what matters, and this is actually what's at the heart of Fisher's Rise of the Villain philosophy.  A character doesn't have to be sweet and perfect to have a story to tell; a liar, an abused woman, a sick child, a thief, a killer, an adulterer, anyone you meet - they all have lives and stories, too.

My feelings on the other characters changed over the course of the book; more than once, I went from liking to hating to liking again. I think that's what was supposed to happen, though. Again, Fisher writes from the heart and the things that happen here are going to evoke feelings from you, which is going to affect your thoughts on the characters from one moment to the next.

Emotionally, this book has some punch, and might even trigger some people, but Fisher has always been a writer of emotion and of taking the road you least expect. Go with it, because even if you come away not loving the book, you'll still want to become one of her Passionate Little Nutcases. 

There are some aspects of the book that I found to defy reality or that seemed illogical to me, but those are likely not going to be a problem for everyone who reads it. It's also likely that those issues are "me" things. I tend to overthink an awful lot when I'm reading; it's a personal failing and it probably won't even happen to the majority of readers, so ignore this entire paragraph! :)

My biggest problem is that Fisher has used this particular premise before, and more than once. I don't want to give spoilers, but if you've read Fisher's other work, be prepared to get that deja vu feeling at various points in this book, particularly the climax and ending.  Again, this isn't bad, and the overall premise of the book is highly original, and the work is good, the writing stellar and unique and amazing and engrossing, and the book is satisfying over all.  I just felt that this was the last time I could accept this one particular premise.

Don't let any of this lead you to believe the book isn't worth your time because it absolutely is. It's heartfelt, it's original and emotional, it's definitely well-crafted as far as plot and execution, and you absolutely will not find another book like this anywhere, except perhaps in Fisher's back catalog. In fact, my opinions on this book may not be yours at all, and it would be a shame for you to miss out on what is a very good book that will take you places you never considered. Besides, reading a  Tarryn Fisher book is like taking a master class on writing, plotting, and eliciting emotion.

After you've read The Wives, you're almost certain to find yourself looking to read more of Tarryn Fisher's books. Bookish Bitch recommends all of them, but we think you should start with Mud Vein and Marrow.  Because they're awesome.

The Wives drops on December 30, 2019. I am giving this book Five Cups of Coffee (so you can stay up and read it all in one sitting!) and recommending it to everyone.