The Senator's Wife

I loved the book, it held my interest the whole time and had a shocking twist near the end. Very Good

This novel opens as a newlywed couple purchase their first home, a half of a duplex next to the prestigious Senator Naughton and his wife. As they struggle through their firsts--house, fights, children, etc; they probe into the life and marriage of the Senator and his wife Delia. The story is also told through Delia's perspective as she grapples with a long term marriage, the after affects of infidelity and forgiveness. Both marriages are in turmoil yet salted with moments of genuine affection. The characters endure through decades contrasting and commenting on both marriages, and make a comment on love and relationships in general.

This book dispenses some amazing and humorous moments. The relationships within the story are commendably honest. The character of Delia is spunky and adorable, and her unwavering love is admirable.

But most of the book was just too hard to read. There was a lot of sex, but it was more off putting then sexy. And sex on some level is written into almost every description in the story. This one line simile may be a contender for the worst ever written, "Her wild white hair was an aureole around her face." I almost couldn't get past that one. The book also excuses infidelity and dishonesty with minimal consequences for the main characters.

The story also suffers from structural issues. The plot structure jumps back and forth through time awkwardly. The way Miller executes this and through excessive foreshadowing; there are absolutely no surprises in the book. Finally the book culminates in such a mildly disturbing and strange way, it leaves the reader almost exhausted. Unless you're a big Sue Miller fan, you might want to skip this one.

Sue Miller's latest may not be her best, but it makes the reader think, and think hard. How much does a woman have to "pay" for love? Should she HAVE to pay? Why? And why not?

All these hard questions are explored, but as in true life, never really answered. The plot is seemingly simple: Two women, one a long-time senator's wife, Delia, and newly married unsure Meri, share two halves of a twin house. And two halves of a woman's life? Perhaps...

We learn Delia's story that is all too familiar: a political wife keeping the smile on her face during her husband's serial cheating. They never divorce, although they separate, but Delia NEVER separates from Tom, not truly, and therein lies her tragedy.

Meri, the product of a horrible childhood, is young, loves her job, and is relatively happy with her life, although neither she, nor we, knows if she really loves her professor husband Nathan, equally young. An unexpected pregnancy greatly complicates things, and Meri consciously and unconsciously looks to her neighbor Delia for guidance.

But Meri, much as the author wants us to sympathize, is truly not a nice person. She does things that I would not forgive. And Delia, who seems so supportive of, and kind to, Meri, is truly on her last nerve and couldn't care less.

It makes for interesting reading, and lots of thinking.

Sue Miller is a writer's writer, so you can't expect a captivating plot from her every time and you won't get one in The Senator's Wife. Compared to her fast-paced While I was Gone, this novel is a real snooze fest, but it did contain imagery and emotions, blended so seamlessly and with such intuition and craft, that I was not sorry I read it. Ms. Miller evokes such sympathy for Delia when, distracted & sorry for herself because she suspects her husband has been unfaithful, (Delia) falls down in the snow with "cheap, ugly dollar store purchases scattered everywhere" - BRILLIANT, hard hitting symbolic literature at its best! Many authors would have seemed heavy handed in eliciting sympathy for an estranged wife who gets her own flat in Paris, but Miss Miller made her marital grief poignant, real -any mother and wife (even ones without seasonal homes overlooking the Seine) can empathize. All her characters in this novel, though overindulged, whiny and navel gazing, are still well wrought. I didn't like them, but then I can't stop thinking about them either.

*****
This is a beautiful novel, a lovely and unusual view of the complexities of marriage. A compelling and suspenseful read, the depths of the emotions of two women from two different generations and their respective marriages are explored. The marriages are very different on the surface, yet similar in other ways. For example, in both marriages, the women make adjustments for their children and accommodations for their husbands---how do these change them?

The author writes about the feelings of Delia and Meri in a way that is raw and authentic, a way that plumbs the shadow side of marriage and how a marriage can change over a lifetime.

People looking for a pat story, conventional and formulaic for our times---about betrayal, the inevitable divorce (of course), and the newly independent woman finding herself---will be disappointed. Instead, readers will find out how these women adapt and grow and even thrive through betrayal, neglect, and their various problems.

"The Senator's Wife" is a novel about love and courage and strength. It is not a spoiler that Delia's husband Tom is unfaithful, and the way she deals with this is, in my opinion, courageous, committed, and loving. Delia makes the choice that is right for her and so risks the disapproval and contempt of her children and apparently, of many reviewers here. Her subsequent choices are seen by some as controlling and shallow; I disagree and think that they are counter-cultural, brave, and authentic. Delia does exactly what she wants to do and this to me is what empowerment is all about. So much of the time when a woman makes a choice that varies with the culture's prevailing norms of marriage she is criticized and attacked, like Delia.

If you are interested in the intricacies of long-term marriages and are open-minded about a woman's right to choose even when it differs from what society mandates for her, I think you will love this book. It is not superficial, and the characters are not superficial, even the two main male characters. I was not disappointed in any aspect of the experience of enjoying this novel!

I will be reading more Sue Miller.

Highly recommended.
*****