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May
15
Book Review: The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller
2009 at 10am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Originally published January 2008 by Vintage (a division of Random House); now available in paperback.
I hate to use another description from the publisher, but this one summarizes it much more concisely than I would or could have:
Meri is newly married, pregnant, and standing on the cusp of her life as a wife and mother, recognizing with some terror the gap between reality and expectation. Delia—wife of the two-term liberal senator Tom Naughton—is Meri’s new neighbor in the adjacent New England town house. Tom’s chronic infidelity has been an open secret in Washington circles, but despite the complexity of their relationship, the bond between them remains strong.
Soon Delia and Meri find themselves leading strangely parallel lives, as they both reckon with the contours and mysteries of marriage: one refined and abraded by years of complicated intimacy, the other barely begun.
At its heart, this is a book about womanhood and the things women experience but rarely talk about. It is about marriage and intimacy and the complexity of interwining one’s life with another person, and it is about trials and forgiveness and the fact that there is no one right way to make a relationship work. Most of all, this is a book about truth. Sue Miller tells it like it is, and she takes you right there, right into the moment and into the hearts and minds of her characters.
And man, is she good at it. I mean, really, really good. Sue Miller, where have you been all my life?
As Meri and Delia, two very different women in two very different phases of life, both struggle to make sense of how they came to be where they are and to examine the roles their husbands played in determining the paths they’ve taken, they reveal intimate questions and private worries that most women probably experience but that very few are able to talk about it. They work hard to admit the truth to themselves, even when, as Meri tells her husband, “the truth is ugly sometimes.”
Miller’s skilled writing and vivid descriptions made it very easy to identify and empathize with both women. I didn’t always agree with their decisions or approve of their actions, but I always understood where they were coming from and what drove them to do what they did, and I think that is the hallmark of a great writer.
I think fiction should be about giving readers a look into a slice of life they’ve never had or providing them with a new way of looking at a familiar experience, and Miller succeeds on both counts. The Senator’s Wife is a great read from the very first word to the very last. I was pulled into the heart of the story by page three, and I never wanted to stop reading. Miller has an excellent sense of timing and always seems to choose the perfect moment for revealing new information about her characters, and wow, does the lady know how to build tension. It’s almost unbearable near the end of the book, and I mean that in the best possible way.
Women young and old, married and single, and of all walks of life will relate to and be drawn into this phenomenal novel. The Senator’s Wife is a discussion starter, a call to dialogue between women, and proof of just what can happen when we are willing to explore the truth about our emotions and our experiences in all of their messiness and complexity. Miller knows that relationships are not clean and simple, and in allowing her characters the freedom to grapple with important and difficult questions about their lives, she encourages us to do the same.
If you’re looking for a good book club selection or an unputdownable, unforgettable read, put The Senator’s Wife at the top of your list. I’ll be sharing it with anyone who will listen. 5 out of 5.
In a flexible interpretation of the rules, I’m counting this for the Book Awards Challenge because I had never read this award-winning author before.
Sounds like a great book! I’m off to look for it!
[...] Book Review: The Senator’s Wife by Sue Miller [...]
I added this one to the pile awhile (hey, that rhymes!) back and have been “saving” it since then! I’ll definitely grab it soon. The premise intrigued me from the beginning!
I’ve started this book before, but by the time I got around to it the library wanted it back. It just came up on the hold shelf for me yesterday, so I’m excited to go pick it up and try it again.
I’ve not read this one but I’ve read The Good Mother and While I Was Gone and remember getting pulled into the story very early on.
I agree on your “slice of life” comment too. I want to feel as if I am walking in the character’s shoes for a bit even if being in them is not always a pleasant experience.
I’ve never read Sue Miller before. She’s definitely going to be on my list. I vaguely remember some sort of controversy surrounding this book (might just have been the topic). I’m all for that. If you liked it, it must be good.
Have a great weekend! You should be receiving your bookmark and Laura Rider’s Masterpiece in the mail today or tomorrow. I hope you enjoy them both!
Unputdownable and unforgettable! I’m adding this to my must read list. Great review, as always.
Okay, now, I’m going to read this book – you’ll probably find the review on my blog sometime – once I get through Mohammed Hanif’s A Case of Exploding Mangoes… which is pretty good so far…
http://www.firstruleofbookclub.merseyblogs.co.uk/
I just read this too; my review is going up next week, and I have linked to yours in it.
I didn’t love this quite as much as you did, but it was definitely thought-provoking. I like the way that Sue Miller is concerned with making her characters real and complicated, understanding that they may not necessarily be all that likable as a result. The story pulled me in, and the ending took me by surprise. I agree that it would be a great choice for a book club. Great review!
I haven’t read anything by this author, but this book sounds good. I’ll have to keep it in mind. Thanks for the recommendation.
–Anna
Wow, I love what you say about what fiction should be about (although I enjoy some escapism from time to time too)
I’d like to read this book at some point, I’ve almost picked it up several times.
Thought-provoking is the perfect descriptor, Florinda! And you know, I didn’t actually dislike the characters. I don’t think I would have done what they did, especially at the end, but I could see how each gave the other what they needed, and there was a certain tenderness to it. Will be looking forward to your review as well!
Oh, I love some good escapism too, Amy! Thanks for reminding me about that part
I’d be really interested in your reaction to this book. Hope you’ll add it to the list.
[...] Book Review: The Senator’s Wife by Sue Miller [...]
Wow! I’ve seen this book around, but hadn’t added it to my list…Until Now! Thankd for the great review!
“I think fiction should be about giving readers a look into a slice of life they’ve never had…”
You nailed it!
I enjoyed this book as well and know exactly what you mean about the unbearably good tension towards the end of the book. Nice review!
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