It must be great fun to write a monster, Charlotte Mendelson has done it before in The Exhibitionist, but the monster in this book seems even more monstrous. I think we are very used to the idea of men in this role but here we have a shift in perspective.

The story recounts the breakdown of the relationship of Penny and Zoe, a lesbian couple, complicated by their extended "family" which includes the father of their children and his sister, Penny's ex. Penny and Zoe are academics and we get some very realistic insights into the challenges for young women of building a career in the academic world. The world of counselling services is also very credibly sketched. But Penny dominates the story with her astonishingly awful behaviour - gaslighting, coercive control, it's all there. And it is literally breathtaking: as the tension built and I read the last few pages I was indeed breathless.

The horror of Penny's emotional manipulation is leavened by some comedy but this does not completely overcome the essential sadness and the sympathy which the reader must feel for the couple's children, Rose and Matilda, and Zoe's desperate attempts to make their needs paramount while still trying to placate Penny and sustain their relationship. The story unfolds in sections headed "Then" and "Now" - some reviewers seem to have found this confusing but I thought is was very effective in building the tension. The supporting characters are all neatly drawn and the dialogue is excellent - the constant interruptions when Zoe tries to speak are as frustrating for the reader as for Zoe.

When I have finished reading books I have enjoyed, I often wish I could meet the characters in real life. But I can only pray that I never encounter people like those I met in these pages. A beautifully written tour de force but you need to be feeling strong to read it.

A slow burn of a relationship breaking down. The alternate ‘then’ & ‘now’ narration was good as we were told how the relationship got to the point it is in now. I enjoyed the dissection from a queer perspective especially decisions to have a baby, co-parent & the effects of the breakdown on Marty & Rose.
Reading the book I felt I was back in the emotional drain of marital separation. It was hard to keep up with the absolute toxic nature of this relationship without shouting at the characters, who were vile. It was hard to stay sympathetic with Zoe all the way through, although the author attempted to explain why she stayed. I was invested but by about 75% the wrapping up should have been done and we weren’t really getting anything new, just more toxic examples.
I would have liked more from the children and framing Zoe more positively would have helped round off the story.
I enjoyed the writing a lot though (occasional big words that I have never heard of threw me!!)

Love and feminity, relationships and insecurities are laid bare in this stunning literary outing. Excellently observed.

Wife is a nuanced, dark and sharp examination of a marriage in meltdown set over the course of a make or break day, with flashbacks to yesteryears.

Zoe, a young woman who is struggling with her self of sense meets Penny, a glamorous and confident older woman and is utterly enthralled. Thus follows a toxic and passionate love affair that ultimately comes to a tumultuous and messy end some years later, the repercussions echoing like shockwaves.

Mendelson deftly covers coersive control, power play and emotional abuse as the day unravels in chaotic fashion.

It's a difficult read and my inner monologue was screaming "walk away now, before it's too late" but I couldn't tear my eyes away and I had to know how it would conclude.

However, the bleakness is interspersed with moments of humour and some startling descriptions of maternal love and the driving force to protect your children - even when you feel hopeless and broken.

Wife will be a relatable read for many, and a eye-opening read for others who haven't experienced abuse and question - why did you not just leave?

Beautifully written, intense and unshying, I was totally invested in Zoe's story. I would recommend to fans of literary fiction who enjoy emotional and challenging character driven stories on the darker side.

This novel completely got under my skin. Wife is a quiet, claustrophobic, and brilliantly unsettling story about Zoe, a woman caught in a long-term relationship with Penny — a charismatic academic whose charm hides years of emotional manipulation.

Mendelson captures the slow erosion of self that can happen in a relationship where control is disguised as love. It’s not loud or explosive, but that’s what makes it so powerful — the subtle ways Zoe loses her voice, her choices, even her identity.

I found myself angry, frustrated, and heartbroken for Zoe — and impressed by how Mendelson handles such a complex dynamic without ever simplifying it. It’s not an easy read, emotionally, but it’s so sharply observed and true to life that I couldn’t stop thinking about it afterward.

Highly recommend if you’re drawn to character-driven stories about power, identity, and quiet resistance.

Disclaimer: I’m a big Charlotte Mendelson fan, so I was always going to enjoy this!
But it’s very different from her other novels , and - told from the point of view of Zoe, one half of a toxic relationship - it’s a really intense slow burn.
The novel goes back and forth between Zoe meeting her partner Penny, and the present day as they split up. We learn, as Zoe does, exactly what’s going on in the relationship.
Zoe - a naif - is something of an unreliable narrator.
I didn’t love this novel for a good third of it, but gradually it grew on me, and by the end I was really invested in the characters and believed in them.
So - I would recommend it, but it may take a bit of perseverance and adjusting to the slightly unusual narration.

As with other Charlotte Mendelson I was hooked right away and I found this to be a very compelling read that showed a lot of complex and intense characters.

I loved The Exhibitionist and elements were as good here but I just didn’t engage with the characters. It was witty and well written just not for me.

The book has been narrated in past and present timelines. The characters lives are complicated and chaotic. A lot of things happens. You will feel innumerable emotions. From finding love and motherhood to distractions, secrets, and uncertainly. I felt the book was poignant and complex. It’s written well yet it’s the kind of book that will make you question life.

3.5/5

Thank you Pan Macmillan

350 pages of lesbian coercive control and emotional abuse with characters flatter than a doormat and no real sense of story or purpose