Imagine a
worst nightmare doubled!
Selina
is busy preparing for her husband’s return from somewhere in the Middle East
and trying to organise her three grown-up children into some sense of order. She’s
awoken that night by a visit from the police to inform her that, not only was Simon
not in the Middle East but that someone answering to his description was found drowned
in the Thames earlier that evening.
While
she is still trying to sort out why he didn’t tell her he was back in the
country, another bombshell hits her. At his funeral, she discovers that he had
another wife … and a daughter.
On the
other side of town, the much younger Lottie is also preparing for her husband’s
return. She gets a call from an acquaintance who got her phone number through her
sister on Facebook. His call is to commiserate on the death of her husband,
Simon. He discovered the news from an email sent by his former property
magazine editor. The email includes the funeral arrangements.
Stricken
with grief while trying to grasp the fact that the police had never called her
to identify her husband’s body, she arrives at his funeral to discover the
reason. Simon had another wife. And three children.
Skilfully
crafted by Tamar Cohen, The War of the Wives is a fascinating
and compelling read and we follow the lives of both “wives” after Simon’s death
and the association that develops between them. Cohen moves from chapter to
chapter, taking the situation from the viewpoint of each woman. As the story
progresses we get to see how each one copes with the situation as their individual
worlds get turned upside down.
However, while the investigative process is
convincing, I did not find the eventual denouement believable. While there are
hints along the way about the guilty party’s odd behaviour, this was not enough
for me to find it credible.
Otherwise, this is a very good read.
Published by Doubleday, The War of the Wives is produced in
trade paperback ISBN 9780857520357 and retails at R215.00 – Caroline Smart
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