The Silent Wife

The Silent Wife – A.S.A. Harrison

Jodi and Todd have been together for twenty years, living in an elegant waterfront apartment in Chicago. Jodi is a part-time psychotherapist who keeps an orderly, comfortable home, walks her dog and cooks elaborate dinners. Todd is a successful real estate developer, charming and confident. Their life seems enviable, and although they have never married, they have built a settled partnership. Jodi has long known that Todd is unfaithful, but she has chosen to look the other way, keeping her feelings to herself.

The Silent Wife, by A. S. A. Harrison, tells the story of what happens when this fragile arrangement breaks down. Todd begins an affair with Natasha, the young daughter of his best friend, and when she becomes pregnant, he decides to leave Jodi and marry her. Because Jodi and Todd were never legally married, she stands to lose everything, including the home she loves.

The novel alternates between Jodi’s and Todd’s perspectives, in sections titled Her and Him, revealing their inner lives, their pasts and the self-deceptions that have kept them together. As Jodi’s carefully maintained composure begins to crack, and Todd’s life spins out of control, the story builds toward a dark and shocking turn.

Harrison, who died shortly before the novel was published, writes with sharp psychological insight into denial, betrayal, control and the secrets that can exist within a long relationship. The book is less a fast-paced thriller than a slow-burning, chilling study of a marriage.

The Silent Wife will appeal to readers of psychological suspense and literary fiction. It contains infidelity, violence and mature themes.