War of the Wives

December 1, 2014
A man's secret lives are unveiled at his funeral, and his two shocked and grieving families are left to discover the truth from many years of lies.Selina Busfield is a prim and superficial woman in her early 50s. With three children and a 28-year marriage to Simon, she seems to have a perfect and affluent life. Lottie Busfield, an aspiring artist in her late 30s, has been married to Simon for 17 years and lives an unconventional and happy life in a tiny apartment with her husband and teenage daughter. Splitting his time between Dubai and London, Simon was able to conceal his deceit by having long stretches of time away from both families built into his work schedule. While Selina and Simon lived in suburban London, Lottie and Simon, for much of their marriage, lived in Dubai. This fragile dual life collapses suddenly when Simon's body is found floating in the Thames. Selina initially responds with disbelief, since as far as she knew, he was supposed to be in Dubai. Lottie's discovery of Simon's death comes secondhand when one of Simon's former colleagues calls to offer his condolences. The story takes off once the two families meet, and the plot is strung together by a series of breathless questions. Did Simon commit suicide or was he murdered? How have his assets been divided? Was he involved with a criminal element? Selina and Lottie struggle through the aftermath of his death and realize that in addition to everything else, they're linked financially as well: Simon has mortgaged Selina's home to pay for Lottie's. The novel is narrated by the two wives, often swapping quite abruptly to see two perspectives on a single event.While the topic is certainly compelling, Cohen (The Broken, 2014, etc.) spends too much time examining convoluted plot threads and not enough time building convincing characters.

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January 1, 2015

Cohen (The Mistress's Revenge) pulls off a fascinating look into the lives of two very different women who are married to the same man. Selina Busfield is a homemaker with three mostly grown children on the wealthy side of town who never misses a manicure appointment and spends most of her time organizing her life. Her downward spiral begins when her husband, Simon's, body is found floating in the river when he was supposed to be working in Dubai. She meets Lottie Busfield, and her daughter, Sadie, at Simon's funeral. Lottie claims to have been married to Simon for years, and just one look at Sadie confirms this. The story moves forward, told from both wives' perspectives, as two very different women handle the same problem. Not only was Simon a bigamist, he was broke, having done some unsavory things to keep up his double life. VERDICT This title, with a little bit of mystery and a whole lot of secrets being revealed, will appeal to a wide audience. The story could have easily been bogged down by whining widows, but Selina and Lottie are compelling characters who find their own paths after great betrayal and sadness. Highly recommended.--Brooke Bolton, North Manchester P.L., IN

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
Selina is the picture-perfect housewife. From her highbrow neighborhood, she arranges charity benefits and watches over her three children. By contrast, Lottie is a disorganized artist living in an inner-city flat with her one angst-driven teenage daughter. On the surface, the two have nothing in common, but tragedy exposes the one thing they had no idea they shared, their husband. Simon Busfield's numerous business trips were due to more than just work, and now his two families are left to sort out the mess of two decades of lies. In their grief, the women face each other with resentment and bitterness, but the depth of Simon's treachery has linked them inextricably together. As facts behind his death come to light, the two wives will have to forgive and move forward if they are to handle any dangers that await. Selina and Lottie's snarky and misguided exchanges are grating, but Cohen has a talent for capturing the nuances of human emotion, and her expression of the different forms of grieving is realistic and engaging.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)