NEW RELEASE
His Other Life - Beth Thomas (2015)
Grace and Adam have been married for a year and are settled into their home and their lives. So when Adam goes out to get a curry and never comes home, Grace is completely bewildered. But as she starts to pick apart their relationship, she begins to see that she never really knew Adam in the first place. A thoroughly appealing plot, picking up on the current trend in women's fiction for these psychological, relationship dramas, this is a book that's very much a la mode right now. It never really quite nails its genre though, lacking the conviction and intensity of the psychological thriller and the lightness of rom-com. There is a tendency in the novel towards flippancy and playfulness, but for me this jarred with the more serious substance of the plot. Thomas creates humour easily and well, but unfortunately it doesn't mesh with the whole. When Adam disappears, Grace's reaction never feels quite right for a wife who has lost her husband, and the speed with which she gets over it similarly feels incongruous. Unfortunately, we don't see enough of their life together to hint at the flaws in Adam's behaviour and the possible instability of their relationship. An easy and accessible read, for me this is one of those books that on paper sounds wonderful but doesn't quite live up to expectations. But for those who don't like the darkness of the psychological thriller but enjoy its intrigue this may offer the perfect compromise. (JC)
His Other Life, by Beth Thomas, is the story of a couple with seemingly perfect lives ... and the secrets they hide behind closed doors. The summary says: "Grace's new husband Adam seems like the perfect package. Good looking, great job, completely charming - almost too good to be true . . . So when Adam suddenly disappears from Grace's life, she is left bewildered and heartbroken. And with a lot of unanswered questions. As she tries desperately to find him, Grace opens a Pandora's Box of secrets and lies - and starts to learn that Adam wasn't so perfect after all. What shameful secrets was her husband hiding? Is Grace in danger? And can she survive the truth? However terrible it may be . . ." His Other Life is out in March 2015.