Book Review: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
In 1907, Ralph Truitt, a wealthy but lonely and embittered Wisconsin businessman advertises for a wife . He ends up with Catherine Land, posing as a "simple, honest woman," but who carries with her a little blue bottle of something and dreams about the time when she'll have all his money. Uh-oh!
The book is an odd combination of a fast-moving, suspenseful plot along with lyrical, almost hypnotic prose. The page-turning story is ultimately subservient to the psychological development of the characters, which makes it just my cup of tea. A beautiful, ultimately uplifting book that would make a good book club selection.
