'The First Wife' is a contemporary fiction novel by Emily
Barr. I'd never heard of this author until I came across some reviews of this
particular book a few months ago. Since it sounded like a fairly interesting
story I decided to put this book on my 'to-read' list, and a week ago I rented
a copy from the library. Don't be fooled by the lighthearted looking book cover
above though- this is far from a lighthearted summer read!
==---Plot---==
Upon the death of the grandparents who raised her, the
sheltered, naive Lily Button must find her own way alone in a modern world she
isn't accustomed to. With some help she manages to get a cleaning job in the
house of the affluent Summers couple. She soon befriends the handsome
actor-turned-solicitor Harry and is envious of his wife Sarah with their
seemingly perfect lifestyle. So it is all the more baffling when Sarah takes
her own life one Christmas during the couple's trip to Barcelona.
Lily soon becomes drawn to a grieving Harry and the pair
soon fall into a whirlwind romance and eventually engagement. However, as their
marriage looms around the corner, Lily soon becomes uncertain about the
circumstances behind Sarah's death. How did Sarah die, if she did at all- and
is Harry all that he seems?
==---Opinion---==
'The First Wife' was surprisingly better than expected, even
with the positive reviews I read before deciding to read it.
It does have a bit of a slow start, as what the blurb won't
mention is that quite a few chapters are spent on Lily adjusting to a
"normal" life. They were interesting in that they developed Lily's
character a lot, just it didn't really progress the story that much. However,
when she finally meets Harry the story definitely picks up as we follow their
romance and, underlying that, the secret behind Sarah's death. The book
certainly has some suspenseful moments where I wanted to keep reading and get
to the secret of the Summers' "perfect" life for Lily's sake, not to
mention a few plot twists that kept me on the edge as well. Whilst a couple
concerning the main characters are perhaps predictable judging from the
synopsis, some details did catch me by surprise!
Emily Barr's narrative is very realistic, especially when
she writes as Lily in the first person. Lily is a very sympathetic and
relatable character; having been raised from her grandparents after her real
parents dumped her rather selfishly, she is very unfamiliar with modern pop
culture and technology, hence why their deaths leave her very isolated and
unable to cope. Despite this, I didn't find her a frustrating or even that
naive because her backstory makes these traits understandable. Besides, she
does develop to become familiar with these things and becomes stronger mentally
as well, mostly through her relationship with Harry. Their romance is very
sweet and I felt happy for Lily despite the disapproval of people who knew
Sarah Summers, and you do soon see why.
Interestingly, the other main character in the book is Jack,
a guy from New Zealand who comes to Barcelona to teach English- something he
has always wanted to do since adolescence but has been frustrated since he
married young. His chapters (written in third-person) come interspersed among
Lily's and at first I wondered how Jack's story relates to Lily's in any way as
the story progresses. Jack is very likeable because of how down-to-earth he is
and I found him a great supporting character to the main story despite how
random his introduction seems to be at the start of the book- once the
characters become connected you do understand why Emily Barr writes Jack in the
way she does!
==---Overall---==
'The First Wife' was definitely an enjoyable read. If you
want a contemporary summer read that's more substantial than your typical
chick-lit then you will definitely enjoy this. I liked this book a lot and I
will certainly look twice the next time I come across an Emily Barr novel!
4.5 out of 5
Review based on library copy only. It may also be found on ciao! and Dooyoo.
Book cover image from Goodreads.
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