Book Review: The Widow | Fiona Barton

A quick read that will have you trying to guess what is going on and who knows what before things come to a head! The Widow by Fiona Barton made me think about what on earth I’d do if I were in this dilemma, which I love in a book.

This was a cute book. Its a really fast read, which I love for summer. I got busy and had to take a day or so away. I recommend readers stay on this one, because it moves back and forth in time and between characters and you’ll want to keep up with the story line and timelines. An important part of this is discovering who knows what and when they knew it. That is the twisty part of this story!

About the Book

Jean Taylor’s husband recently passed away–and quite unexpectedly! He tripped in front of a bus and was gone in a second, leaving Jean alone and dealing with the aftermath of his life. It is hard enough to be a widow, but Jean wasn’t married to just anyone. She was married to one of the most hated men in the country–to a man who was tried but not convicted for a media-frenzy crime (think Madeleine McCann or Casey Anthony level of coverage in the media). The book opens with a reporter Kate asking to set up the first formal press interview with Jean since her husband’s death.

But Jean isn’t who everyone thinks she is. She played the supportive wife through all of the trial and aftermath. But now that her husband is gone, Jean can be who she wants to be. Someone who isn’t just the wife of an accused criminal. And then a reporter, Kate, gets through to Jean. Jean agrees to finally give her first public interview. As the country watched in anticipation, Jean is about to play her biggest role yet–The Widow.

Reflection

One thing I enjoyed about this book is how much Jean keeps from everyone, including the reader. Jean is a HIGHLY unreliable narrator, and she sort of tells you that. SHe knows more than what she is revealing, and she is choosing what, how, and when to reveal what she knows. She keeps a lot to herself, even when just narrating to the reader. She acts in ways that don’t make a lot of sense at first. It is unclear how she feels about her late husband. Her own descriptions are sometimes girlish and weak, and at other times she is cold, strong, and calculating. I liked seeing her switch back and forth! It made the reveal interesting, because I knew what Jean was capable of, but I didn’t know who the real Jean was.

I wouldn’t really say there is a twist so-to-speak–this is more of a slow-building suspense. This book excels in its character development, and you learn much more about the case and the characters as it goes, until the reveal at the end. There is also an answer of sorts, so you aren’t left hanging. That can’t be underestimated! All in all, I loved the concept of this book. I recently was at a conference and saw Monica Lewinsky speak. And the theme of her speech was “Don’t judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their headline.” When I read this book, I thought about the powerful speech! About how she was open to public judgment and scrutiny, and without the platform and respect of others involved to tell her side.

I look forward to reading more from Fiona Barton!