After months of resistance, I finally purchased and read Dr. K E Garland’s The Unhappy Wife. My original thoughts about the text were a barrier to engagement. Based on the title alone, I assumed that only married women could extract pearls of wisdom from the book. This mythical position was dispelled after reading just a few pages of the first section. This wonderful collection of short stories has use-value for most people, irrespective of sex/gender and marital status.
The Unhappy Wife is an assortment of twelve visceral testimonies inspired by the actual experiences of married women. Each relationship goes through a period(s) of disenchantment – owing to a wide range of internal and/or external factors. The varying responses to these circumstances are presented in three parts and corresponding themes: The Voiceless Wife, The Detached Wife, and The Committed Wife. These narratives are powerful and captivating. Overall, the stories run the gamut of human emotion. At times, I found myself jotting “LOL” in the margins; at other times, I was deeply disturbed.
What I appreciate most about the text is its readability. The paperback version has relatively larger font and indentations between lines – so one’s experience is not hindered by straining. It is also helpful that the language is clear. The narratives are straightforward and brutally honest. There are no pretentious theories or proselytizing. While being married is the common denominator among women in the book, there is no political and/or religious agenda which praises or condemns the institution of marriage. Readers are not ambushed with righteous diatribes about ‘family values’ or the Church. Attention centers on the subjective happiness of the women. This is made clear on the first page of the text, dedicated to each of the women, which says: “May you forever be happy, with or without a husband” (emphasis mine).
As such, The Unhappy Wife is more than just a medley of testimonies. It is also an invitation to reflect upon our own relationships, the problems lurking beneath the surface, and the potential for happiness. I learned a lot about myself with every chapter. I recognized my words and tendencies in a few of the wives, husbands, and/or mistresses. My personal favorites were Gina, Mrs. Little, and Lesa. When Lesa’s story ended, I wanted an encore. Beneath the last sentence, I wrote “damn, this was a good one, I want a sequel!” Nonetheless, the book strikes a perfect and delicate balance in terms of length. The stories are long enough to convey vital facts and intrigue readers; but short enough to avoid communicating non-essential and even confusing information. As an unmarried male who is considering matrimony soon, I feel equipped with more tools for recognizing telltale signs of relational disenchantment – thanks to Dr. Garland! This ensures that my future marriage will have a stronger base at the beginning.
I highly recommend The Unhappy Wife to anyone and everyone who is, was, or hoping to be in a committed relationship. The Unhappy Wife can be purchased through Amazon in paperback or Kindle; or through Barnes & Noble. And be sure to visit Dr. Garland’s blog!
March 20, 2017 at 8:43 pm
Darryl, my dear, I so appreciate each one of these words. I’m always super excited when people “get it.” The beginning of this review is EXACTLY what I’ve been trying to convey. I know the title makes it seem like it’s just for married women (who are unhappy lol), but it’s great that you see that’s not the case, at all. The second thing is the readability and like of didactic writing. Although I wanted to be sure my “Dr” moniker was on there, like my blog, I never want to talk above people’s heads, you know? I wanted this book to be ACCESSIBLE and I definitely didn’t want anyone to finish wondering what the point was lol So, again, I’m happy this was clear. You are the first one to say you liked “Lesa”! I’m happy about that, but you’ll have to wait until April to see why 😉
Thanks again luv! Always happy for readers and honest reviews!
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March 20, 2017 at 8:58 pm
Absolutely! Any time! It is good you wrote to express not to impress. Everything is crystal clear – which is not an easy task.
Oh, and I really liked Pamela – mainly because I liked Kurt’s style lololol. I am shocked that I am the first to say I liked Lesa! I was completely lost in the story-line there. When I flipped the page and saw it was the last one I was like noooo, lol! I am looking forward to reading more about her in April =D
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March 20, 2017 at 11:56 pm
Man, wasn’t it a great read tho?
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March 21, 2017 at 9:23 am
It was fabulous!
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March 29, 2017 at 11:36 pm
I was JUST about to ask which story was your favorite lol
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April 3, 2017 at 11:57 am
What was your favorite? And why? Who did you identify with? Come on, spill your gutssss!? Lol
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March 21, 2017 at 1:19 am
Thanks for sharing this. I’m not looking for relationship advice, but I found a few pages of the book to get an idea of the writing style and it is interesting and I do want to connect with other writers, so I will check out Dr. Garland’s blog.
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March 21, 2017 at 9:23 am
Hello! Yes, the writing style employed here was awesome. Thanks for reading =D
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March 24, 2017 at 9:06 am
Reblogged this on K E Garland and commented:
I can count on both hands how many men have read The Unhappy Wife, and Darryl is one of them. Check out his review of the book. And, if you don’t already follow him, then you’re in for a thoughtful and critical look at all things in society. Thanks again Darryl!
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March 27, 2017 at 6:02 am
What a fantastic review! Loved the book and I’m ecstatic to see a man’s point of view after reading it. 🙂
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March 27, 2017 at 2:36 pm
Hello Lennon! Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the book and my review. I hope more men read it – as its wisdom applies irrespective of sex/gender!
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March 27, 2017 at 5:09 pm
It truly does. I so needed this book in my 20’s and 30’s 🙂
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March 27, 2017 at 10:05 am
Nice review, Darryl! I love that even as “an unmarried male who is considering matrimony soon” you recognized some of your own tendencies in both the male and female characters in the stories.
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March 27, 2017 at 2:37 pm
Hello Leslie! Thank you! This book was very therapeutic for me. If we are willing to be open, we can identify with the experiences of other people and learn from them.
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March 29, 2017 at 11:40 pm
I love your review! I found myself relating to many of the women (different parts of them). It was comforting to know that I’m not the only one who suffers from impaired vision when love is involved. Most importantly were those learned lessons though; lots of nuggets of truth. Kudos for YOU sir Darryl – entering a woman’s world lol
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April 3, 2017 at 11:59 am
Thank you! 😀 I have always resented the idea that love is the domain of women and that men were somehow outside of it, playing sports or fixing things around the house. I have always thought of myself as a hybrid : man and woman, hard and soft (to the extent that the genders and their stereotypes have validity).
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April 4, 2017 at 3:42 pm
okay Darryl, I see you!!! You go ahead and redefine society’s definition of masculinity, you hybrid you. lol 😀
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April 18, 2017 at 11:52 am
Wow seems like a good read I’ll have to check it out! I’m single but I’ll be a wife again someday lol
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April 21, 2017 at 9:12 am
You certainly should!
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