Tuesday, August 10, 2010

It is REALLY cold out there!


Robert Goolrick

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

     This was an unusual story that takes the reader on a tense, lustful journey to a desolate small town in 1907 Truit, Wisconsin. The harsh, cold winter, which lasts almost as long as the novel, is an oppressive force on all the characters. The book begins as wealthy Ralph Truit, waits at the railroad station for Catherine Land to arrive. She has answered Truit’s personal ad which stated "Country businessman seeks reliable wife. Compelled by practical not romantic reasons.” Ralph, Catherine and others in the book are not as they first appear. They are all scheming, violent, vengeful and surprisingly generous. The story takes several unexpected twists and turns against a backdrop of frozen landscape. It is an entertaining book for readers who enjoy reading about extraordinary behavior in ordinary, mundane settings. Alfred Hitchcock could have made a great movie from this book. This is Robert Goolrick's first novel.

1 comment:

Dorothy said...

After getting raves from a friend of mine, I decided I'd download and listen to this book (this was several months ago). For some reason, I really disliked it and I don't really know why that was. It's barely stuck with me at all and until I read your review, even the title didn't ring a bell! I feel like I should give it another chance but I doubt that will happen at this point.