The Truth About Ben and June

The truth is, The Truth About Ben and June was a different read than I was expecting. Based on its blurb, I went into this book anticipating a thriller about a missing mother. But what I got was a compassionate look at the stress and unfair expectations some women face in their work and home lives.

The book starts off strong with June's disappearance and Ben's desire to find his wife, but then veers into more of a domestic fiction read. Told using alternating POVs of Ben and June, including letters June writes to her mother, Kiester gives readers a few perspectives and introduces important issues. The topics include some women's ambivalence about motherhood, mental health, and the pressure many women feel as they try to live within expectations set by society, family, and themselves when it comes to motherhood and the work/family balance. It is this vivid portrayal of these struggles and the mental health issues that I take away from this debut.

I think many women will see themselves in the struggles June faces and while this book didn't quite captivate me and I felt the ending was too conveniently resolved, I was sympathetic to Ben and June and the issues addressed will hopefully encourage honest discussions about postpartum anxiety disorder and the pressure women continue to face regarding motherhood.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Park Row Books for this complimentary advanced copy which was provided in exchange for my honest review. 

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Alex Kiester

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Type and Source: Trade Paperback from publisher

Publisher: Park Row Books

First Published: June 28, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: A heartfelt debut that explores the complexity of a modern-day marriage when a new mother vanishes one morning and her husband must retrace events of their recent past to bring her home.

Love isn’t something that happens to you; it’s something you must choose every day.

From the moment Ben and June met in a hospital waiting room on New Year’s Eve, their love has seemed fated. Looking back at all the tiny, unlikely decisions that brought them together, it was easy to believe their relationship was special. But now, after several years of marriage, June is struggling as a new mom. At times, she wonders about the life she didn’t choose—what might have been if she hadn’t given up the lead role in a famous ballet to start a family. Feeling like a bad mom and more alone than ever, she writes to her deceased mother, hoping for a sign of what she should do next.

One morning, Ben wakes to the sound of his baby and quickly realizes that June is gone, along with her suitcase. As Ben attempts to piece together June’s disappearance, her new friends mention things he knows nothing about—a mysterious petition, June’s falling-out with another mom, her strange fixation on a Greek myth. The more Ben uncovers about June, the more he realizes how little he actually knows her. And now the only way to bring June home is to understand why she left.

Told through alternating perspectives of husband and wife, The Truth About Ben and June is a witty and wise page-turner about life’s many crossroads and a heartfelt reminder that we create our own destiny.