Review of The Wife Between Us by Hendricks and Pekkanen (Some Spoilers Ahead)

Genre: Thriller

Total length: 346 pages

Writer: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Update status: Complete

Synopsis: Vanessa is immersed in an abusive relationship. She's tempted to leave but knows her husband Richard will not let her go that easily, so she sets him up with Emma in an attempt to get rid of him. She'll soon realize she lured Emma into a dangerous predicament.

Author Introductior | Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanenn

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are two journalists and highly successful bestselling authors who have penned various works of fiction in a joint effort, including "The Golden Couple," "An Anonymous Girl," "You Are Not Alone," and the novel under review ("The Wife Between Us.") Their writings have appeared in very renowned outlets and publications.

Theme: Not a Jealous Ex-wife This Time

The theme in "The Wife Between Us" is an inversion of the famous "crazy ex-wife" trope that's often seen in Romance novels. Too often, we see a brewing relationship being thorned and sabotaged by a jealous ex-couple, who may sometimes be borderline psychotic.

Here, the ex-wife (who's initially depicted as the "crazy ex") is actually the person fostering that relationship for her personal benefit. This convoluted but well-thought-out story arc defies all that we've learned about what love affairs are supposed to be and feel like.

Usually, the ex-wife is the one succumbing to misery, resenting their loved ones' newfound happiness at their expense. Here, however, it's the person replacing the previous lover who takes the psychological toll.

The Characters: The Wife and the Happy Lovers

Note: It's virtually impossible to elude spoilers beyond this section. If you want to read past this point, we strongly suggest you read the whole novel first. You've been warned!

"The Wife Between Us" has three main characters: Richard Thompson, Vanessa/Nellie Thompson, and Emma Sutton, though we can also find a myriad of supporting characters worth mentioning at least.

Let's begin by describing the protagonists first:

Vanessa/Nellie Thompson

Vanessa is Richard's divorcee. She lives in New York with her aunt following the divorce. Additionally, she obsesses over Richard's "new fiancée," Nellie, who actually turns out to be Vanessa herself (her past self), even though readers are tricked into believing that they're two different people.

Vanessa comes from a broken home, so she strives for stability as a result. This made it easier for her to fall in love with Richard, as he's wont to take control. However, she was not prepared to cope with his temper issues.

Richard Thompson

Richard is a hedge fund manager who's portrayed as overly charismatic yet manipulative, with a propensity to exert control over women and abuse them. He's displayed as the lovable party originally, with Vanessa (his ex) posing as the supposed antagonist, but readers will learn about Richard's true nature and intentions as they progress.

Emma Sutton

Emma is the real "new fiancée." She starts hooking up with Richard as a way to get back at Vanessa for ruining her parents' relationship. Unbeknownst to her, this is exactly what Vanessa has planned to break out of Richard's grip.

Other Characters:

Maureen Thompson: Richard's older sister.

Daniel Barton: University professor and Vanessa's ex-boyfriend.

Nicole Barton: Daniel Barton's wife

Samantha: Nellie's best friend.

Point of View: From the Wife's Perspective

The novel is told from Vanessa's standpoint. Curiously enough, she talks about her past self (Nellie) in third person.

 

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The Plot: The Perfect Marriage between Twists and Steady Developments

The story in "The Wife Between Us" is literally packed with twists. It starts with Vanessa Thompson talking about Nellie, a preschool teacher, and recalling the events that transpired on the eve of the latter's wedding with her ex-husband Richard. She speaks with a very hateful tone about her "replacement."

Vanessa also relates how her life has been following her divorce. She was working at a Saks in New York to make ends meet. At that time, she was living with her aunt and turning to alcohol to deal with the trauma of her failed and abusive relationship.

She has made many serious mistakes in the past and garnered a fair number of enemies, including Emma, who turns out to be RIchard's real new fiancée. This marks one of the first twists in this convoluted plot, as Nellie was the same Vanessa when she was younger, so, in a sense, when she spoke ill of Nellie, she was referring to her old naive self.

Emma and Richard

Emma meets Richard and falls in love with him. Vanessa takes that as an opportunity to leave Richard, as he wouldn't let her do so under ordinary circumstances, given his possessive demeanor.

Part two discloses what really happened between Richard and Vanessa, the way he gaslit her and cut her off from all sorts of social interactions. Knowing this and seeing Emma so excited about her future marriage, Vanessa warns her about what's in store for her, but the former doesn't heed the warning.

The Hottest Chapters in "The Wife Between Us

Chapter 18 provides the first major twist in the narrative, as it's revealed that Nellie is actually Vanessa. She calls her younger self "Nellie" because that was the nickname Richard gave her when they started dating. This chapter also marks the end of Part One.

Chapter 34 also promises to leave readers on the edge of their seats upon witnessing Richard's rage fit in front of Emma during his confrontation with Vanessa.

Writing Style in "The Wife Between Us

The writing in this novel is very polished and embellished without being hard to follow. The language remains straightforward and elegant at the same time, and its pacing is just perfect, introducing twists in the right places to keep the reader entertained at all times.

Is The Wife Between Us a Life-Changing Reading Experience?

Maybe not life-changing, but "The Wife Between Us" is one of those books that could conceivably make it to the top of your reading list.

Many would find the number of twists and turns a tad obnoxious, but they don't bother us in the slightest. The novel doesn't overwhelm with twists to the point of breaking the writer-reader contract, and they're not wholly unexpected for the most part.

In our estimation, "The Wife Between Us" is among the best thriller novels released in recent years, and it's definitely a must-read!

FAQs

Q: Has "The Wife Between Us" been adapted to film?

A: A film adaptation is supposedly in the works as of this review, courtesy of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Partners, who owns the film rights.

Q: How old is Vanessa in "The Wife Between Us"?

A: When she first meets Richard (as "Nellie"), she's 27 years old.