Recipe for a Perfect Wife

Author: Karma Brown
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Viking Books (Penguin Random House)
First Published: December 31, 2019
Opening Lines: It was late in both day and season for planting, but she had no choice in the matter.

Book Description from GoodReads: In this captivating dual narrative novel, a modern-day woman finds inspiration in hidden notes left by her home’s previous owner, a quintessential 1950s housewife. As she discovers remarkable parallels between this woman’s life and her own, it causes her to question the foundation of her own relationship with her husband--and what it means to be a wife fighting for her place in a patriarchal society.

When Alice Hale leaves a career in publicity to become a writer and follows her husband to the New York suburbs, she is unaccustomed to filling her days alone in a big, empty house. But when she finds a vintage cookbook buried in a box in the old home's basement, she becomes captivated by the cookbook’s previous owner--1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she realizes that within the cookbook’s pages Nellie left clues about her life--including a mysterious series of unsent letters penned to her mother.

Soon Alice learns that while baked Alaska and meatloaf five ways may seem harmless, Nellie's secrets may have been anything but. When Alice uncovers a more sinister--even dangerous--side to Nellie’s marriage, and has become increasingly dissatisfied with the mounting pressures in her own relationship, she begins to take control of her life and protect herself with a few secrets of her own.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

My Review: This was a quick read for me, and I was initially drawn to the book because:

• A) it's written by Karma Brown (I do so adore a Canadian author, eh!)
• B) I love me a dual narrative
• C) it focused on the roles of wives in the past and present

People who enjoy reading about different eras will get a kick out of the interesting, to downright shocking, 'advice' to married women that greet readers at the beginning of each chapter. Brown also shares several old-fashioned 1950's recipes but, thankfully, the odd and unappetizing 1950's culinary 'creations' (i.e. tuna + Jell-O concoctions and the like) were only mentioned, not shared. Thank heaven for small mercies.

Using two narratives, Brown gives glimpses into the issues, limitations and expectations put upon women in the 1950's and in current day. As with many dual narratives, I tended to veer towards one more strongly. In this case, I found Nellie's 1950's POV more engaging - not surprising since it's often more interesting to read about a different era than our own. But Alice was a different story. I was unsympathetic to many of her struggles and especially her selfish behaviours and felt she didn't feel as developed as Nellie's character. And, in all honesty, I didn't love the end - it was predictable and unfortunately not nearly as satisfying as I had hoped.

After deliberating over my review, I've concluded that while I loved the premise and Brown's nod to the nostalgia of eras and women past, I liked but didn't quite love this story. That said, I believe this title will garner fantastic book club discussion, particularly in clubs that have readers from differing eras and genders.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Viking Books for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.