George March's latest novel is a smash. No one could be prouder than his dutiful wife, Mrs. March, who revels in his accolades. A careful creature of routine and decorum, she lives a precariously controlled existence on the Upper East Side until one morning, when
the shopkeeper of her favorite patisserie suggests that her husband's latest protagonist—a detestable character named Johanna—is based on Mrs. March herself. Clutching her ostrich leather pocketbook and mint-colored gloves, she flees the shop. What could have merited this humiliation?
That one casual remark robs Mrs. March of the belief that she knew everything about her husband—and herself—thus sending her on an increasingly paranoid journey that begins within the pages of a book. While snooping in George's office, Mrs. March finds a
newspaper clipping about a missing woman. Did George have anything to do with her disappearance? He's been going on a lot of "hunting trips" up north with his editor lately, leaving Mrs. March all alone at night with her tormented thoughts, and the cockroaches
that have suddenly started to appear, and strange breathing noises ... As she begins to decode her husband's secrets, her deafening anxiety and fierce determination threaten everyone in her wake—including her stoic housekeeper, Martha, and her unobtrusive son,
Jonathan, whom she loves so profoundly, when she remembers to love him at all.
Combining a Hitchcockian sensibility with wickedly dark humor, Virginia Feito, a brilliantly talented and, at times, mischievous newcomer, offers a razor-sharp exploration of the fragility of identity. A mesmerizing novel of psychological suspense and casebook
insecurity turned full-blown neurosis, Mrs. March will have you second-guessing your own seemingly familiar reflection in the mirror.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
August 10, 2021 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781705038796
- File size: 243556 KB
- Duration: 08:27:24
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
Publisher's Weekly
June 28, 2021
Societal roles so thoroughly define the titular Upper East Side Manhattan matron of Feito’s elegantly written, unflinchingly observed debut—first as the unwanted younger daughter in a frosty upper-crust New York family, now as the fastidious wife of literary sensation George March—that her first name isn’t revealed until the final sentence. And Mrs. March’s sense of self is sufficiently tenuous that it takes but a throwaway inquiry from the clerk at her favorite patisserie concerning whether the protagonist in George’s current bestseller was modeled on her to trigger the initial tremors of an emotional earthquake. The increasingly delusional Mrs. March becomes convinced that her husband may have murdered a young woman in Maine during one of his annual hunting trips, a hypothesis she attempts to investigate. Though the suspense remains high up to the horrific final surprise, much of this woman-pushed-to-the-brink-of-madness story feels familiar, and if not for some contemporary references, Mrs. March’s breakdown could be occurring in a Henry James drawing room. One looks forward to Feito training her clearly considerable talents on fresher material next time around. Agent: Kent Wolf, Neon Literary. -
AudioFile Magazine
When a local shopkeeper suggests that the main character in the bestselling novel of Mrs. March's husband may be based on Mrs. March herself, a series of doubts creep into Mrs. March's mind--which fester into severe paranoia. Elisabeth Rodgers's calm narration is the perfect match for this audiobook. Her well-honed timing helps build the tension as Mrs. March loses touch with reality and becomes increasingly unreliable, leaving the listener wondering where the truth lies. Rodgers's characterization of Mrs. March creates an unreliable protagonist who is struggling internally yet is unable to ask for help. Although the story is set in an unspecified time, it feels like the 1950s, when awareness of mental health issues was still in its infancy. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
-
Loading
Why is availability limited?
×Availability can change throughout the month based on the library's budget. You can still place a hold on the title, and your hold will be automatically filled as soon as the title is available again.
The Kindle Book format for this title is not supported on:
×Read-along ebook
×The OverDrive Read format of this ebook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Learn more here.