Staff Pick: How to Be a Good Wife

Psychological thrillers are one of my favourite genres. I love peeking into the minds of seemingly ordinary characters and being surprised by what I see – or think I see.

Lucky for me, psychological thrillers seem to have hit their stride in the past couple of years, and there are more great books being published all the time. From Gone Girl to The Girl on the Train, people are loving stories featuring unreliable narrators and unexpected plot twists. In my search for similar titles, I came across the quiet gem How to Be a Good Wife. Emma Chapman’s novel is a shorter read and is less action-packed than the titles I just mentioned, but she still builds a haunting narrative that will stay with you. The story is set in Scandinavia where we first encounter Marta living a subdued life with her husband. Since their son moved away, Marta’s days are repetitive and solitary, until one day she begins to see things that she’s not quite sure are real. As Marta’s paranoia builds, so does the tension of the story, and you feel her frustration and anxiety mounting.

Be warned – this book may not have the ending you expect! If you’re looking for more psychological thrillers, I also suggest Remember Mia and Before I Go to Sleep

by Jill