The Wife Upstairs

The Wife Upstairs is a modern take on Jane Eyre (a classic book I am embarrassed to admit I have yet to read) and I found it to be an easy listen as I drove to and from work last week. 

This eAudiobook was read by multiple narrators who did a fine job but overall, this was just an okay read for me. The story was slow going (although I liked the twist), but the characters were unlikable clichés and I found it hard to believe all this was happening under Jane's own roof and that this dog-walker-turned-fiancé-of-a-rich-man was none the wiser. We're not in a Gothic mansion on the secluded moors of England, we're in a suburban house for goodness sake.

Overall, this was a decent audiobook filled with secrets and murder but was farfetched and lacked the tension I've come to expect in a twisty domestic thriller. This was a fast, easy listen on my commute, but it is not a story that will stay with me long. 

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: eAudiobook from public library

Narrators: Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, Lauren Fortgang

Run Time: 8 hours, 40 min

Publisher: MacMillan Audio

First Published: January 5, 2021

Opening Line: It is the absolute shittiest day for a walk.

Book Description from GoodReads: A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie­ Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?