Review – The Third Wife – ilovedreadingthis

Lisa Jewell Century – Penguin Random House 2014

Having been so impressed with The Girls ( Also called The Girls in the Garden) I went on to read I Found You and now this – The Third Wife. Prior to this it had been a number of years since reading Lisa Jewell – I don’t know why as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed these three books.

The Third Wife is the story of Adrian as his efforts to comprehend why, in the early hours of an April morning his third wife Maya, intoxicated, stumbles into the path of an oncoming bus.

A tragic accident? or suicide?

Heartbroken and lonely since her death, Adrian had thought life had been good, he was proud of the excellent relationships he’d maintained with his two previous wives and five children. They’d all accepted and got on with Maya, they all even holidayed together.

She even got on with his two previous wives and their children. In fact, they’d all been one big happy family.

Alone for the first time, Adrian is determined to establish the facts leading up to Maya’s death. Noticing for the first time the cracks in his perfect, blended family, the realisation that just because he is happy this doesn’t necessarily equate to everyone else being happy and recognising the secrets and unions within the family and the damage they can cause, Adrian is forced to re-evaluate his perceptions.

This is another great read by Lisa Jewell with a mystery at the core of the seemingly happy family. The complexity of relationships and the impact of Adrian’s unshakeable belief that all is good make for a compelling read.