Tuesday, 24 October 2017

Amy Lloyd - The Innocent Wife


Rating: 2/5

Review:
Not for me



I am out of step with the great majority of readers, but I'm afraid I didn't get on with The Innocent Wife.

Sam, an insecure and lonely teacher from England, falls for a man on Death Row in Florida with whose case she has been fascinated for years.  She visits him in the Florida jail, becomes involved in the making of a new documentary about the case and then delightedly agrees to marry him.  As the book and the research for the film progress, we get a psychological study of Sam and a "did he/didn't he?" plot which becomes very sinister and threatening.

My problem with the book is principally that I simply didn't find Sam's character  either interesting or convincing.  I can see the points Amy Lloyd is making, but I just didn't believe it, somehow.  Added to this a plot which felt very well-worn and, frankly, I just lost interest.

I'm sorry to be critical of a decently-written book, and especially of a first novel, but that's my honest reaction.  I seem to be virtually alone in this so don't let me put you off; plenty of thoughtful readers enjoyed The Innocent Wife very much, but it wasn't for me.

(I received an ARC via NetGalley)

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