PLOT: 2.5/5
CHARACTERS: 3/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
CLIMAX: 3/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3/5
My Musings
The year 2018 has seen me reading a lot of women-centric books. Having read some really amazing books like A Girl Like That, The Hate U Give, Jasmine Days and When I Hit You, I can safely say that this year has been all about female power.
Needless to state, that makes me very happy. Confession of a Wife is yet another woman-centric book that came my way for review.
Read on to know about my thoughts about this book.
What to expect?
Confession of a Wife is the story of an unhappy marriage and an unhappy wife. It is written in a rather simple and plain fashion. Expect a good amount of family drama and some offbeat noncliché kind of romance while reading this book.
Also, expect some hands-on exposure to the trials and tribulations of a modern day working woman.
Let’s talk about the story first
Rusha Banerjee is a young wife, mother, daughter-in-law and a teacher. Her life mostly revolves around taking care of her son, working non-stop for her in-laws, tending to an indifferent husband, and giving her heart and soul to her job as a school teacher.
Her days often pass by in a jiffy as she is always neck deep in work. But is she really living?
Tending to her heartless in-laws, a hardly-there husband, and a boss who can be best described as thankless takes a toll on her mental health.
But she has made peace with her life. She is happy with the little financial independence that she has in an otherwise suffocating marriage.
Everything changes when she comes across Ranvijay. That’s when her life takes a U-turn. Slowly and steadily her black and white existence is splashed with colors.
But will she be able to cross the threshold of her marital home? Will she ever take a chance with life? Will she be able to take the bold step that promises a better future?
How good are the characters?
In Confession of a Wife, there are some characters which appeal to you in an emotional way while there are others that just push you away.
Overall, I won’t say that the characters were great but they did have some endearing qualities that got me hooked on to their stories. I would have loved it, if they were a bit bolder in their actions and if their past lives (and other such details that make a character multi-dimensional) were also included in the book.
What about the author’s writing style?
The book is written in an easy language. Sometimes the writing appears to be amateurish and unpolished and hence I would only recommend this book to readers who are basically beginners.
The book seems to be more about characters than about the storyline. Understandably, the plot leaves much to be desired in terms of reader engagement and overall pace.
Was the climax good enough?
The climax of the book isn’t really unpredictable or surprising but it somehow does manage to end on a satisfactory note.
There is a small twist in the end which gives a necessary break from the monotony but this surprise element is just a small one. In addition to that, the climax also lacked passion and emotion. Given an otherwise emotional read, you would expect that the book would have an intense end, but sadly that wasn’t the case.
What I liked?
Confession of a Wife does a good job of explaining the situation in which many modern Indian women find themselves these days. Caught up in their professional lives, they often end up managing both work and home fronts with little to no help. Eventually, their mental and physical health both take a toll for the worse.
Through the story of Rusha, the book does a good job in bringing to light the tough situation that such women often find themselves in.
What I did not like?
I think the biggest issue that I have with the book is that the title is a bit misleading. It sounds scandalous and promises a good dose of masala and gossip.
This, however, isn’t really the case. The story is rather simple and the characters are the exact opposites of what you would call scandalous.
It all boils down to the entertainment quotient
When it comes to entertainment, Confession of a Wife is a book that evokes mixed feelings. There are a lot of things to look forward to in this book, but in almost every aspect it fairs averagely.
There isn’t a single element which stands out in the book. Thus, in terms of entertainment too, the book can be best described as mediocre.
Pick up the book
- If you are a beginner.
- If you are looking for an easy read.
- If you enjoy dramas.
Skip the book
- If you are a regular reader.
- If you are looking for a serious fiction.
- If you are looking for a scandalous read.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Confession of a Wife using the link below.
