Take My Husband by Ellen Meister

Only one thing stands in the way of Laurel Applebaum's happiness... Doug Applebaum.

In this darkly comic novel about a wife whose rope is so frayed it's about to snap, Laurel gets a call that her husband has been in an accident. She imagines the worst. But as she is on the way to the ER, another emotion seizes her. Relief. Doug's death could solve all her problems. No more catering to his incessant demands. Then there's the insurance money. Laurel's dreams seem so close. There's just one problem: Doug is very much alive. Now Laurel has to decide if she is going to do something about it.

Subversive, irreverent and surprisingly poignant, Take My Husband probes the deep corners of a marriage and emerges to find the light. For anyone who's spent a little too much time with a significant other and thought, One of us has got to go.

 

 

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars rounded up – because I completely understood why 😀

This was really a very dark story. I have a feeling many people may be reluctant to admit they have had some of her thoughts, because... well, one just couldn't admit to thinking how much easier it’s to live without one's rather boring spouse. Let alone how the life insurance may help...

It would seem to me that the author had a lot of fun creating a really mad collection of characters, which offset some of the darkness of the subject. Fundamentally, we all know it is wrong to feel this way and that there will be people who have experienced loss and be devastated. But sometimes reading about those dark thoughts can release the guilt through humour, and certainly I could appreciate the mixture of shock and amusement.

You need to be in the right mood and place to enjoy this book, but if you are, then it will hook you in and you will just have to know how it all works out!


Angie – ☆☆☆
I am on the fence about this book. I was in a similar situation and recently got divorced. I understand some of the feelings in this book. I get it. I lived it. But then I also wanted to reach through my e-reader and say, “Snap out of and grow a pair!” This definitely isn't your average book, so keep that in mind when reading. I think I'll reread this again once I've just got over my own issues.


Shelby – ☆☆
Take My Husband is a "dark" comedy about a middle-aged married couple. I had to remind myself of this, constantly, while reading it. As I've gained maturity (aka gotten older), I've realized my idea of comedy differs greatly from the majority and this book is a great example.

I'm just going to come out and say I absolutely hated the main character, Laurel. I can absolutely empathize with her in a few aspects, but overall, I cannot like her. She's a glorified doormat with absolutely NO backbone. She's unhappy in her marriage, she resents her husband, but refuses to communicate or leave. Oh no, instead, she fantasizes about her husband dying, because well, the backbone thing I mentioned.

In an effort to not spoil the story, I will say that her husband isn't much better (he is very two-dimensional).

I didn't enjoy this, I disliked the characters and have no respect for them. I found nothing humorous but did have to stick it out to see what happened, only for that to seem rushed.
This book just wasn't for me.

 

 

Author of The Rooftop Party, Love Sold Separately, Dorothy Parker Drank Here, Farewell Dorothy Parker, and other novels, ELLEN MEISTER is also an editor, book coach, and contributor to Long Island Woman. She has been published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere, and has appeared on NPR. Ellen teaches creative writing at LIU Hutton House Lectures.

Connect with Ellen Meister

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ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Take My Husband by Ellen Meister to read and review.