My Husband: A Novel

Product Information

At forty years old, she has an enviable life: a successful career, stunning looks, a beautiful house in the suburbs, two healthy children, and most importantly, an ideal husband. After fifteen years together, she is still besotted with him. But she's never quite sure that her passion is reciprocated. With the surprise of Gone Girl, the bleakness of The Talented Mr Ripley and the sinister charm of the Netflix thriller You, My Husband is a bold and exhilarating story of passion and the dark secrets that lie beneath a seemingly healthy marriage. As he emerges gently from his sleep, my husband moves closer to me, but I turn around in time to escape his grasp. That’s the rule. Last night, he went to sleep without wishing me good night, so he doesn’t get any cuddles from me now. It’s out of the question for me to give in.”

Servile as that sounds, she’s also manipulative and, when she needs to be, ruthless. Because it turns out that her infatuation is matched only by her fury at her husband’s apparent failure to return her obsessive passion. Every interaction is analysed with neurotic intensity, and punishments for falling asleep without saying good night or seeming to slight her at a dinner party can range from hiding his keys to conducting an illicit rendezvous with another man. 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. Over the course of one week, a nameless female Parisian wife and mother psychoanalyzes her 15 year marriage to her husband. Love is her hobby of choice, as she is a desperate romantic. Or is she just neurotic, paranoid, and jealous?

Beyond the Book

Then in France that summer, Schmid kept seeing it in bookstores. Reading it again, she says, she was “totally hooked”: “I read French, but not effortlessly, so it’s always a litmus test for me if I’m reading and enjoying the book even with the extra difficulty. If I do, I know I love it.” Clearly, it’s not for everyone with a current average rating on Goodreads of 3.74 but, it is UNIQUE and QUITE UNFORGETTABLE so it’s earning 5 stars from me! At forty years old, she has an enviable life: a successful career, stunning looks, a beautiful house in the suburbs, two healthy children, and most importantly, an ideal husband. After fifteen years together, she is still besotted with him. But she’s never quite sure that her passion is reciprocated. In this wry, psychologically complex debut, a meticulously manicured wife is obsessed with her husband. For the past 13 years, she's made a science of meeting his needs, putting them before her own or even their children's. Her love is a stranglehold; something's gotta give. The winner of France's First Novel Prize, this riveting emotional thriller requires serious willpower to not devour in a single sitting' Oprah Daily

I seriously loved this book. I loved how drama filled it was. The way she planned out every ridiculous thing so it made sense to her. She'd be over here inning he hates her and is leaving her just because they didn't hold hands. The most richly accomplished of the brothers’ pairings to date—and given Connelly’s high standards, that’s saying a lot. Ramadan’s exacting translation holds the reader in her grip, and what makes this so thrilling is not just the narrator’s surprising ruthlessness but how Ventura causes the reader to repeatedly change their mind about who’s to blame for the messed up marriage all the way to the explosive ending. It’s a bold and memorable first outing." My Husband is an amazing book that captures the essence of a wife's world revolving around her husband. This relatable story delves into the complexities of marriage and the insecurities that can plague a person's mind. Ventura’s first novel explores love’s darker alleyways through the eyes of a 40-year-old Frenchwoman who's obsessed with her husband.

Maud Ventura (trans. Emma Ramadan)

She doesn’t feel the need to spend time with friends, her parents or her CHILDREN-she only needs to spend time with her husband. Today, I've learned to hide it, to pretend, but deep down there is still only one thing capable of getting me out of bed at any hour of the day or night: love. I've never managed to get any other habits.' Living inside this woman’s head was both exhausting and fascinating. Her obsession with her husband, which swings from passion and love to deep revulsion and resentment depending on the day of the week and the color of the day, put me through all the moods. She is utterly fixated and codependent on him and lives to please (and punish) him. Her inner monologue and thought processes about whether her husband loves her, is cheating on her, wants to divorce her, or has discovered her secrets, were almost tipped over the edge into paranoia. For example, she agonizes over his love for their children and friends because spreading his love dilutes his love towards her; she is horrified by his romantic belief of falling more in love daily because it means he doesn’t love her fully at her present. While I tend to be more obsessed with my husband’s exes than my husband himself, this book had me reeling, laughing and re-examining my life choices. I loved every minute.”— Jenny Mollen Biggs, New York Times bestselling author of City of Likes 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.

On the outside, she is a loving wife, mother, teacher, and translator, but inside….well, she’s something far different. This book is refreshingly different than the same old, same old that we read over and over until they all blend together. This is one you will be unlikely to forget. But, be warned, if you require likable characters and a plot, then avoid! He must be tested. He must follow her (unspoken) rules or there will be (extreme passive-aggressive) consequences. 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." Schmid says she was always changing her mind about the characters: she’s crazy, her poor husband; the husband is a monster. Is he gaslighting her? “I had a strong emotional response to the book, and then I was laughing—a clementine?” she adds.It's a wild read with some inventive prose and turns of phrases that left my Kindle copy absolutely marked up from all the highlighting I was doing. Especially the sex scenes and the descriptions of sex are absolutely unique and profound, and singular to Maud Ventura and the compelling, tension filled voice she created with My Husband. The winner of France’s First Novel Prize, this riveting emotional thriller requires serious willpower to not devour in a single sitting.” Oprah Daily While I am finishing my coffee, my husband leans toward me and whispers into my ear, ‘We need to find a moment to talk’. Then, after a short pause, he adds, ‘It’s important’.” An unsettling novel about the ultimate unknowability of your spouse and a sure-footed addition to a canon that might include Jane Eyre and Gone Girl . . . Gripping reading.”— Sunday Times (London)