The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**4.5-star**
Channeling the naturally gothic atmosphere of the American South, The Wife Upstairs puts a decidedly modern twist on a beloved classic.
Jane Bell is new to Alabama. Living on the outskirts of the posh neighborhood of Thornfield Estates, Jane originally works in a coffee shop, but then takes up dog-walking for the wealthy families within Thornfield.
She begins to learns the ins-and-outs of their lifestyle, envying and occasionally taking a little something for herself.
Jane is especially interested in the largest and most opulent property of all, imagining what it would be like to live there.
Once she meets the homeowner, a handsome young Widower, Eddie Rochester, things begin to change quite quickly for Jane.
As she and Eddie start a relationship, Jane can’t help but be curious about his late-wife, Bea, whose presence is still very much felt in his life.
The more she learns about Bea, the more she wonders what Eddie sees in her?
When questions begin to arise about Bea’s death, Jane becomes even more suspicious of the man she believes she is falling in love with.
Full of small town gossip and drama, this story was a cleverly-plotted, modern-interpretation of Jane Eyre. While I have never read Jane Eyre, after this, I really want to!
I really enjoyed how Hawkins gave us alternating perspectives between present-time, Jane, and past-Bea. The evolution of the story was very nicely done.
These perspective shifts also made the reveals fun and fast-paced.
Even though most of us know the basic outline of this story, I enjoyed where Hawkins took it.
In particular, I enjoyed how morally grey, Jane was. She’s not a helpless Ingenue looking for a savior. She is clearly a girl who can take care of herself. I loved that.
If you are in the mood for a fast, super-fun domestic suspense novel, look no further. Pick this book up and enjoy the show!
Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with copy of this to read and review. I appreciate it so much and look forward to Hawkins writing more in the Adult space!
