Following the steps of Ottesa Moshfegh this novel is intimate, and bizarre and, for moments it feels like a fever dream. We meet the wife, one of the most unreliable narrators I’ve ever encountered.
For this woman being a wife is a personality trait, she is obsessed with her husband and tries to interpret every little thing he does, every decision he makes. In a sense she is no different than a cult follower. Her self perception is mostly based in her role as a wife to the point that she doesn’t care about their kids, at all. They’re perceived as a nuance, an obstacle to her relationship with her husband. But what about the husband himself? Is he actually everything her wife thinks he is? How does he cope with the attention of a wife full of self doubt and obsessive ideas that cloud her reasoning?
You will find out in the very last chapter.
Great book !

I really hate when a good writer has a bad plot and My Husband was just that type of book. Repetitive and just over the top, this book will not be remembered for long even the twist at the end did nothing to redeem it as it was too little too late. Thank you to HaperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 ⭐

To simplify things: If Gone Girl and You went and had a French lovechild, you'd get this book.

All of that to say... I ate this up. Our unnamed protagonist is obsessed with her husband. So much so that it's initially VERY off-putting to read. Every thought, statement, idea, choice... directly ties back to her husband. Which is obviously not a sustainable way to live. There is no way to find happiness or fulfillment by revolving your life around one single person. That's not love; it's imbalance. And we see how that power imbalance completely unravels the narrator throughout the span of a week.

Her hyperfixation on her partner knows no bounds. Like everyone's favorite "cool girl," Amy Dunn, this narrator suppresses who she really is for the sake of accommodating her husband's preferences. The need to constantly bend to his will and hide her true self takes a toll on her psyche... and we see her become more and more unhinged as the days progress.

Nothing I enjoy more than clever dark humor. And that epilogue? *chef's kiss*

There were some moments I felt to be slightly repetitive, but ultimately? An unexpectedly wild ride.

This book was wonderfully weird and somewhat relatable, even though this main character is a little TOO MUCH. I thought this book was funny and for a character driven story with no plot, it still managed to have a fun little plot twist at the end! Very enjoyable read!!

My Husband is an entertaining read. I don’t want to give away too much but I enjoyed how my opinion on the FMC and what her situation was changed so much from the beginning of the story until the end. She went from having my sympathy to feeling unhinged. I really loved the slight twist at the end.

I have posted my review on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu7Y4e5r78r/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5669286233

And Amazon

I am sorry to say that I DNFed this book at 20%. While I did find some of the main character’s thoughts and antics to be mildly comical, she just ended up being very unlikable to me. Also, referring to her husband as “My Husband” throughout the book became very grating. I would try this author again.

Thanks NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Probably 3.5 stars for this one.

The epilogue changed my entire perspective on this book. By the end of the main story, I thought this women was absolutely nuts, which I guess is the point. The epilogue made it clear that the husband is just a gaslighting manipulative asshole 💀

Loved that the story was fully from her perspective and was her unfiltered thoughts from the beginning. Felt very real and made it clear that their relationship was extremely toxic lol

Genuinely very enjoyable. My Husband is Maud Ventura's first novel translated into English. Like Ventura, our main character "the Wife" is a French-English translator and is obsessed with her husband. We only know him as "Husband" and the children as "children." We never do learn their names.

The Wife has herself wrapped up in a web and silent (one-sided) battle with her husband. Obsessed with love itself, she is constantly looking for meaning in everything he does. If he loves her so much, then why compare her to a lowly clementine? At times, her anxieties are relatable. Especially for those who find themselves wondering "do they love me anymore?" and are looking for meaning in everything, including what music they're playing, our main character is relatable, but that relatability is always taken a step too far. Rethinking their conversations becomes recording their conversations for later analysis. Her husband doesn't even know she's not a natural blonde. She is forever keeping up the version of herself that her husband knows: put together and waiting for him.

The book is set up over the course of a week. Each new day begins with the day (ie. Monday) then proceeds to chapters within that day. Each day corresponds to a color and feeling. Friday is the day of love, of course. Events over the course of the week add up and she ends up going off of her schedule.

I truly enjoyed this book and was looking forward to its release. Thank you HarperVia and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read!

My Husband — written by Maud Ventura and translated by Emma Ramadan

This was a WTF book in the best of ways. Some have described it as a mashup of Gone Girl + Fates and Furies and that’s not a bad description. On the one hand, it’s a domestic psychological drama that is as twisty and twisted as the best of the genre. But on the other hand, this translated novel was so full of interesting observations about human behavior and relationships that I found myself highlighting passages on every other page.

This is a book about a Parisian woman who is so madly in love with her husband that thoughts of him and their relationship dominate her life. She is also an English teacher and a translator— and while these activities feel like just a way for her to pass the time until she next sees her husband, ideas of language and translation also drift through the book.

Plot-wise, I think it’s better to go in knowing less, but if you enjoy psychological dramas and/or translated lit, don’t miss out on this new release!

Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for the ARC. My Husband is out now!

“Among all the rituals of shared life, the very regulated choreography of the family meal is the one that annoys me the most. This afternoon, we were two lovers sitting on a restaurant terrace; passersby could have taken us for two coworkers burning with desire for each other who have not yet dared make the first move, or two former lovers trying to say goodbye for good (impossible to know for certain from the outside). Tonight, however, the roles we perform are unambiguous: we are two parents having dinner with their children, a classic family portrayal. I play the mother and he the father. And I miss my husband.”

What a ride! If your readers enjoy an unreliable narrator type of book, they are in for a treat! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by a debut author. I can't wait for her next one!

3.75 ⭐️
My Husband puts you inside the mind of our narrator who is overwhelmingly obsessed with her husband. Her inner monologue is so unsettling to the point that I wanted to jump out of my skin for the majority of the book but makes for a nerve racking page turner. Highly recommended for fans of the unhinged women/feminine rage genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for the e-ARC!

This was an interesting book with an even more interesting narrator.
My Husband follows am unnamed Parisian housewife who is madly in love with her husband . So in love she even resents her children for taking his attention away from her. She thinks he is the perfect man as she proudly worships the ground he walks on. However shes still filled with anxiety and fear that he will leave her one day and goes to extreme measures to make sure it never actually happens.

I definitely loved this book and was surprised at that ending as I was not expecting it but I am thoroughly happy with it. The most interesting aspects of this book would be the way in which the narrator thinks. Throughout the book It is revealed that she has certain punishments for her husband depending on what kind of thing she thinks he did wrong. For example: if he forgot to say goodnight to her then he won’t get any cuddles in the morning or if he didn’t hold her hand while watching a movie then she’ll misplace some of his items like his keys and wallet so that he’ll run late. This was interesting because it is an aspect that is slowly Revealed throughout the book and it is even more interesting to see how the narrator justifies this action and many others.

Throughout the book we get the feeling that her husband has no idea about this as well as about anything else going on inside of her head. Which I think makes the story even more shocking because she does the things she does just based on her own paranoia about a situation. She is just so infatuated with him that any small action from his part that she doesn’t think reciprocates the amount of devotion she has toward him will lead her to spiral and start questioning his fidelity and do things to ensure he stays with her.

I found this book to be shocking and intriguing in equal measure and the epilogue was really clever. I turned the final page with a smile and Just so shocked so this book definitely deserves all 5 stars.

The obsession was so well written. I couldn’t put this down. Felt like gone girl. Such a memorable reading experience

I unfortunately I did not like this novel. I suspect it was because it was originally written in French and translated into English so some of the innuendos didn't cross over. This is a story of a woman that is extremely obsessed with her husband. It was pretty exhausting frustrating to be in her head as she over analyzes every thing. However the story does end with a twist and make you question what you thought throughout the story.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of My Husband by Maud Ventura.

This is an odd little book with an even odder narrator.

Our unnamed Parisian housewife is madly in love with her husband. She even resents the children from taking his attention away from her. She will do anything for him. She orbits him like the earth orbits the sun. She thinks he is the most charismatic and charming man. With vigor and zest she proudly worships the ground he walks on. Yet, she's filled with anxiety that he will leave her someday and that fills her with utter dread.

Any little slight from her husband results in her version of punishment. If he didn't say goodnight to her then no cuddles for him in the morning. If he didn't hold her hand while watching a movie then she'll misplace his wallet or keys somewhere causing him to run late. If she suspects he's flirting with someone then she'll sleep with some unsuspecting man in retaliation. She does all these things from a place of love.

At a recent party the guests are asked to describe their spouse as a fruit and her husband mistakenly called her a clementine. The horror!!! She is most obviously a black berry, a cherry, or a peach. Her reaction to this:

"I am both exhausted and unable to sleep. During this time my husband continues to revel in his egotistical sleep. In this moment I detest him. There is no other solution: I scream as though I'm having a nightmare. He wakes up with a jump. I stammer in a falsely sleepy voice that I'm sorry, just a bad dream, and turn back to my side of the bed. I hope my husband can't fall asleep and that his insomnia will leave him with the time necessary to reflect on his betrayal. It's important he ask himself: How could he have reduced his own wife to the rank of a vulgar clementine?"

Her take on snooping on her husband:

"Sometimes I ask myself whether I should feel guilty about going through my husband's things. But I always come to the conclusion that I should not, for one simple reason: I wish he would do the same. I would finally have the proof of his jealousy and the confirmation of his commitment. Unfortunately, I know he doesn't. Unfortunately, my husband trusts me."

On motherhood:

"I do my best, but most of the time I'm too busy being in love to be a good mother."

On her infidelities:

"That's why I never feel guilty for being unfaithful: How could I when I do it out of love for my husband? Plus, I know how to set limits: I've never cheated on my husband on any day other than Thursday."

Told you she was odd! 🤪

I found this book to be both humorous and horrifying in equal measure and the epilogue was really quite clever. I turned the final page with a smile. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for my complimentary copy.

In My Husband, the main character is a wife, a mother, a teacher and a translator. Predominately though, she is a wife who’s obsessed with her husband!

This story takes place over the course of one week and it hooked me right away. As I learned more about the wife, her questionable behavior, and incessant internal analyzation, I began to dread and at the same time, eagerly observe what she would do the following day.

I was very curious to see how things would play out at the end of the week and I was not expecting this ending! I like when a book can surprise me. My Husband is a great debut novel by French author, Maud Ventura, and was translated by Emma Ramadan.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Releasing tomorrow, My Husband by Maud Ventura tells of a French translator and teacher who is intensely obsessed with the man she married. Her deep passion for this man completely consumes her in a way that is increasingly claustrophobic and hysterical. Her children, and even she, seem to be mere afterthoughts comparatively.

Ventura forgoes the names of the main character, her husband, and their children, making the story much more alienating. They’re all conveyed as distant objects rather than people. They’re more like dolls with schedules. Our main character is only translating how they exist in relation to her husband and the codependency she has on him.

There is a consistent tone of restlessness. Every interaction feels forced. The main character is much like a caged tiger excessively grooming herself and her environment out of boredom. She ponders language, relationships, and women on television. She projects her feelings onto other women and children alike.

The story is very one-sided. Everything filters through the woman’s perception of life and social situations, highlighting her psychological oddities. Her actions convey an altogether different story than what she hopes to portray. While she is aware of her obsession being disproportionate, she seems oblivious to how strange her dysfunctional behavior and mismanaged thoughts are in other areas of her life.

The story hinges on her control issues, the constant suspicion, the anxiety over everything she does, and her confusing mindset encouraged by outdated assumptions of high society. Every contradictory thought and questionable action leaves one wondering if those around her will eventually respond irritably. Do they know her well enough to notice she’s a bit off? Will they say something? To most people, she must seem like she has a nervous condition. One keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop, and when it does… it’s not just neurotic fits or morbid jokes. She becomes downright intrusive.

Other than the thin plot, the only thing I don’t particularly like in this novel is the term “synergies” used to describe an unexplainably energetic connection. Working in tech, this buzzword is a pet peeve of mine. Otherwise, the tale reminded me of a younger, less mature version of myself. I was embarrassed for the main character until she completely lost it. Then, I kept reading out of horror.

Delightfully unhinged, this book answers the eternal question of 'are the straights okay?' and the answer is indeed, bleak. The narrator is hilariously over the top in her bizarre devotion to a man that is the epitome of the 'He is not the love of your life, he's literally just a guy. hit him with your car!' meme. If you're looking for a delightfully off the rails narrator that mixes french sophistication with the stability of a character from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, this is the book for you.

Another weird little novel to add to my 2023 reads! This one was so messed up but also very hard to put down. It’s the story of a woman obsessed with her husband, after 15 years of marriage. To say more about this obsession would give it away. Felt a bit like Gone Girl and a bit like Fates & Furies.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this novel, translated from French, about a woman desperately in love with her husband. It’s a quick, propulsive read, drawing you into the mind of our unnamed narrator, who is completely consumed with thoughts of her (also unnamed) husband, for one week in their lives. At first it seems like she’s a little extra, but it becomes increasingly obvious that the narrator is less in love with her husband than she is obsessed with him. She spirals for days when he compares her to a clementine fruit. She breaks a floor lamp because it disrupts the ambience of their home’s entryway and she’s terrified that it will lead her husband to no longer want to return home to her and the children. She has a secret copy of the mailbox key made so that she can scan through the mail before her husband gets home to make sure he’s not receiving love letters from other women. And then the obsession itself takes a darker turn. Ventura writes her protagonist as a black hole of need, resenting even her own children for the attention they draw from her husband that isn’t otherwise allocated to her. If you enjoy stories that center an amoral female antihero, this is a great choice!