A witty and wise story about a woman amidst a midlife crisis who agrees to anonymously participate in a survey about marital happiness, only to experience a reawakening through the power of confession. Satirising our obsession with the internet the tale unfolds via Facebook statuses, Google searches, questionnaires and first person narrative. A deliciously revealing expose about all the juicy stuff that matters: parenting, sex, ageing, happiness, security and the ongoing tug of war between love and marriage.
'Wife 22 depicts the ridiculous ease with which we reveal our innermost thoughts to complete strangers but not those we know and love' VogueMaybe it was because I was about to turn the same age my mother was when I lost her. Maybe it was because my husband and I were running out of things to say to each other.But when the online study called "Marriage in the 21st Century" showed up in my inbox, I had no idea it would change my life. It wasn't long before I was assigned both a pseudonym (Wife 22) and a caseworker (Researcher 101).And, just like that, I found myself answering questions.Before the study, I was Alice Buckle: wife and mother, drama teacher and Facebook chatter, downloader of memories and Googler of solutions.But these days, I'm also Wife 22. And somehow, my correspondence with Researcher 101 has taken an unexpectedly personal turn. Soon, I'll have to make a decision—one that will affect my family, my marriage, my whole life. But at the moment, I'm too busy answering questions.As it turns out, confession can be a very powerful aphrodisiac.
'I loved it, loved it, loved it. It's so funny and true and sad and real and clever and of-the-moment. Also so hopeful and wise and ultimately heartwarming.' Marian Keyes
'Superb!.fully formed supporting characters and a nuanced emotional storyline make Gideon's fiction debut shimmer' Publishers Weekly
'Not only funny, but wildly inventive. Not only wildly inventive, but poignant. Wife 22 is also wise in matters of the heart!. Melanie Gideon could put marriage counsellors out of business.' Elizabeth Berg, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Time I Saw You
Praise for A Slippery Year:
'Melanie Gideon is a wonderful companion -- smart, rueful and painfully funny. Truly, the one thing wrong with this book is that it had to end.' Allison Pearson, Author of I Don't Know How She Does It
Author
About Melanie Gideon
Melanie Gideon is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir The Slippery Year, which received huge critical acclaim. She has written for The Times, the Daily Mail, More and Marie Claire. She was born and raised in Rhode Island. She now lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son.
