An entertaining saga of love lost and found, Take My Husband by Ellen Meister (Dorothy Parker Drank Here) merges the edginess of a thriller with the soul of a romantic comedy, a winning combination sure to appeal to readers across the literary spectrum. Fifty-something Laurel Applebaum from Long Island, N.Y., is not your typical heroine. Laurel is stuck in a languishing 30-year relationship with needy and unemployed Doug, a man who takes her for granted, and she fantasizes about being free of her marriage and its attendant responsibilities. Widowhood would leave her financially secure--Doug has a hefty life insurance policy--and free to visit her son's family without her husband's recriminations about flight costs.
Laurel spends her days working at Trader Joe's and dreaming about her life post-Doug. The only problem is that her husband, despite his older age and many health issues, shows no signs of popping off. Her increasingly desperate musings about the joys of widowhood lead her to consider the unthinkable, forming the dark premise underlying Meister's excellent eighth novel.
Featuring scenes of high drama and memorable characters, including the overattentive coworker who urges Laurel toward freedom and the handsome customer with whom she shares a sizzling attraction, Take My Husband leads Laurel through a series of suspenseful plot twists and comedic misunderstandings--and to a deeper understanding of her true self and the future she wants. Whether or not Doug is part of that desired future is a question that will keep readers guessing right until the very end. --Shahina Piyarali, reviewer