The Marriage Lie by Ali Mercer
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Domestic drama, Family drama
Read: 25th May 2021
Published: 28th May 2021
★★★ 3 stars
DESCRIPTION:
My husband is asking me to do the impossible. But if I don’t do what he wants, he will tell our daughter everything…
Stella follows her handsome husband Rob to the beautifully laid-out table in the restaurant he’s chosen specially for her fortieth birthday lunch. As the waiter pops the champagne, Rob proposes a toast and their crystal glasses clink together in celebration. Stella knows how they must look to anyone watching. Two people very much in love, with the perfect marriage and the perfect life.
But Rob is about to drop a bombshell on Stella. He wants a divorce.
If she doesn’t give him exactly what he wants – the house, the money and full custody of fourteen-year-old Georgie – he will tell their precious daughter the one secret Stella has worked so hard to protect her from.
Stella has a choice to make. To fight for her daughter, there is only one person she can turn to for help. Someone she hasn’t spoken to in over a decade. If she doesn’t, Rob will win. But to do it means facing up to her biggest regret, and risks losing Georgie forever, once she learns the truth…
An absolutely heart-breaking and gripping novel about the price of keeping a secret. Fans of Amanda Prowse, Kate Hewitt and Susan Lewis will be gripped by this emotional family drama from the very first page.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Ali Mercer's THE MARRIAGE LIE.
I'm not sure how to categorise Ali Mercer...it's not thriller but it's not just contemporary fiction either. It's a bit of domestic drama, a bit of suspense and plenty of surprises. I found it slow to begin with but that just could have been me because I was dealing with my senior dog, who has a bit of dementia, getting up every two minutes in the middle of the night whilst trying to read. Once she finally settled after a couple of hours I also settled more into the book.
The story begins with Stella, excited for her 40th birthday her husband Rob is taking her on. Then he drives her to an isolated house at the end of a lane and she wonders what are they doing here? He assured her it would only take a minute to have a look around as he was eager for her feedback on the place. Rob is a kind of property developer, buying houses and doing them up and then selling them for a profit. He doesn't normally share them with her so she was surprised he wanted her feedback on this one. As soon as she walks in she is hit with traces of Rob all over. The interior is stark white with a minimalist touch throughout. It was sparsely furnished with just a small table and two chairs in the kitchen, a sofa and flat screen TV in the sitting room and although there were three bedrooms upstairs there was a single bed in only one of them.
When he had finished showing her around, he asked what did she think. Stella was at a loss for words...what could she say that wouldn't offend him and spark a row? He assured her he could take her criticism. When she said that she was sure it would be someone's dream home but it wasn't her's, he answered her with "I'm sure you'll get used to it" and placed a set of keys in her hand. She looked at them and asked what was going on? He informed her that this was her birthday surprise, that he wanted a divorce and she would comply...or else he would reveal her biggest secret. Thus losing the greatest love of her life - her daughter Georgie - who he apparently would allow her to have on weekends though she would live with him throughout the week. And she would agree to his terms. If she didn't, she would be sorry.
Without a backward glance, Rob leaves Stella standing dumbfounded in her new house with instructions that she would be at the mediator's the following morning to begin the process of their divorce. Almost at once I thought how the hell did he expect her to get there when she was in the middle of nowhere with no car, since he drove her and left her there? But Stella was nothing if nor resourceful. She began trudging down the lane looking for a bus stop to take her back to Kettlebridge and their house in an affluent neighbourhood. However she was in heels that weren't made for walking and after taking a tumble, her kindly neighbour called her a taxi which took her back home. And there, she got another nasty surprise. Suddenly it was clear why Rob wanted this divorce.
Her world crumbling around her, Stella needed a voice of reason as well as comfort so she went to the only other person she could turn to - her mother. Unfortunately, her mother was a fully paid up member of the Rob Castle fan club and in her eyes he could do no wrong. She told her what had happened and as expected her mum really had no sympathy and pretty much hustled her out the door as soon as her terminally ill husband awoke from his nap. She had one other person to call...who she hadn't seen in years and who had turned their back on not only her, but all of them. Her younger sister Molly. But the reception she received was cold and dispassionate.
Stella suddenly realised she was in this on her own and if she was to get through this she could only rely on herself. After spending the first 30% feeling a little sorry for herself, Stella finally got her bitch face on and started to fight back and when she walked into that mediator's office the next morning, Rob didn't know what hit him. Yes, Stella knew there was no going back for them but they had a daughter whom they both adored and for her they needed to do this amicably with as little fallout as possible. But on one thing she was clear - Georgie was living with her and he could see her weekends.
But when they were in the midst of a war of words at the mediator's Stella's phone rang, her mum's name flashing on the screen. She took the call and everything changed. Even Rob sat up and asked if everything was alright. No, it wasn't. Her mother was dead. I have to hand it to Rob. As dastardly as he was, he showed some compassion for the woman he was tearing apart by jumping up and being with her through the difficult time. But when she mentioned contacting Molly to let her know, he became agitated and tried to dissuade her. But Molly had a right to know her mother had died. As her phone calls were going unanswered, Stella had only one option left - to go to London and tell Molly in person. And the reception she received upon arrival was anything but warm. She thanked her for letting her know and asked her to leave.
She wasn't surprised by Molly's coldness but Stella had other things to worry about...like how she was going to break the news to Georgie when she returned from her school trip the following morning. At least she had convinced Rob to allow her to stay at the house while they worked out how to tell their daughter they were separating. But Georgie was more perceptive than they gave her credit for.
And yet the secret of Stella's past still haunted her. The one that Rob had dangled in front of her that if Georgie were to find out she would hate her. But Stella reminded Rob that he was just as complicit as she though she had to agree...she could lose her daughter if the truth ever came out.
Throughout the book, readers are teased with "the secret" that threatened to tear Stella's world apart should people, particularly Georgie, were to find out. Which has everyone guessing as to what it possibly was. I figured out fairly early on what I thought it was, and I was proved correct, but the manner in which it happened wasn't really any great drama I thought. As it was hinted as being something so terrible, I had envisioned a much darker playout. But I was hoodwinked by one aspect that I never saw coming...and that made everything else fall into place and why the family was so estranged.
THE MARRIAGE LIE is a domestic drama filled with suspense but it is not a thriller. It pulls you in from the beginning as you turn the pages wanting to uncover Stella's dirty little secret and why she should be so ashamed. The family dynamics between them all are strange to say the least. And then I had to laugh...Rob got what he wanted and when he did, he realised it wasn't what he wanted after all. But by then it was too late.
The characters weren't all that likeable honestly. Stella drove me nuts at times and Rob was a complete jerk from the beginning. His arrogance was astounding that I was surprised Stella fell for it at all. He is manipulative, controlling and pretentious. I don't know what any woman saw in him, to be honest.
The story is told solely from Stella's perspective, mainly in the present but also with flashbacks to the past. And through her narrative we see her grow from strength to strength as she fights to keep her equilibrium and her some of comebacks had me chuckling and wishing I had her balls.
THE MARRIAGE LIE is not a fast paced tale but it's not a slow one either. Still it's not as fast as I like my stories but I enjoyed it just the same. I do recommend it for those who like family dramas and contemporary fiction with a little bit of suspense thrown in.
I would like to thank #AliMercer, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMarriageLie in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Ali is fascinated by families, their myths and secrets, and the forces that hold them together, split them up and (sometimes) bring them back together again. She always travels with tissues and a book and has been known to cry over a good story, but is also a big fan of the hopeful ending.
Social Media links:
No comments:
Post a Comment