The Wife (Dr David Galbraith #2) by John Nicholl
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 3rd August 2022
Published: 15th August 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
What drives a woman to murder?
Twenty-nine-year-old Cynthia Galbraith is serving a life sentence for murder, and struggling with the traumatic past that put her behind bars.
When the prison counsellor suggests Cynthia write a personal journal exploring the events that drove her to murder, she figures she has all the time in the world and very little, if anything, to lose. So she begins to write, revealing the secrets that haunt her and the truths she’s never dared tell.
A note from the author: While fictional, this book was inspired by true events. It draws on the author’s experiences as a police officer and child protection social worker. The story contains content that some readers may find upsetting. It is dedicated to survivors everywhere.
*Previously published as When Evil Calls Your Name*
MY THOUGHTS:
Before I start my review, I think it is important to strongly recommend readers to read the first book "The Doctor" first, as this is not a standalone story but rather goes hand in hand with the first one.
I had thought I had read it all when I read "The Doctor" but THE WIFE will reignite readers' contempt for Galbraith as this time Cynthia recounts her story. And what a tragic tale it is. It begins rather spasmodically in a somewhat choppy narrative that stutters in fits and spurts as she details life as it is for her now languishing in prison before going back to how it all began under the seemingly charming guise of Dr David Galbraith.
Cynthia Galbraith has served three years of a life sentence for murder of her husband at the end of the first book. As part of her rehabilitation, she meets with a prison counsellor every week who encourages her to keep a journal. And really, who else can tell Cynthia's story as accurately as Cynthia herself? No one else lived her life or walked in her shoes. No one else knew just what it was like to live with Galbraith. No one except Cynthia.
If one remembers from the first book, Galbraith isolated her to such a point she had no one. And really, we only had but a glimpse of her in the first book...and what was our impression of her? A quiet timid beaten-down woman to afraid of her own shadow. We caught only a snippet of Galbraith's treatment of her and even that was enough to make our blood boil. We have no way whatsoever of knowing what really went on behind those closed doors. And that is why this story is so significant...because it is only through Cynthia's eyes that we can see just kind of life she truly had and why she acted and behaved in the way she did.
THE WIFE is not only Cynthia's story, it is a memoir and it written as such. Remembering that she had suffered at the hands of Galbraith's belittling and abuse for years that even she doubts her own ability to convey her story accurately. So in the beginning, she does appear to waffle and go off track on occasion. She even chastises herself for doing so, so used to being reprimanded she was. It sometimes appears disjointed and confusing but as it is written by Cynthia herself that is only to be expected given all she has endured. Even now, three years later, she continues to second guess herself.
As the story begins to unfold, Cynthia takes us back to her life before Galbraith. The person she was, her hopes, dreams and life with her then boyfriend Steven with whom she was in love and had plans to marry someday. Their trip to Tenby, where her parents lived, and the ultimate tragedy that changed her life. And then she meets Dr David Galbraith. Slowly, we see the subtle manipulation and the gaslighting he plies her with and wonder why she didn't see the warning signs and just run. But he was a master at manipulation. And we see, through Cynthia's eyes, how little by little piece by piece her confidence is chipped away and she is whittled into a trembling, frightened but completely compliant mess. Oh yes, Galbraith knew exactly what he was doing. And just when readers thought we saw the end of him in the first book, our hate for him is reignited as he comes alive once again through Cynthia's eyes.
Throughout her memoir, Cynthia recounts that of her life before incorporating it with what it has now become in prison. From her various cellmates to her work in the laundry to her sessions with Mrs Martin. It is cleverly told and though it takes some time to build, trust me, it is worth it. Don't give up on this book because, believe me, it will all make sense.
I can't say I've ever read anything quite like THE WIFE before. It was raw, it was intimate and it was heartbreaking. The destruction of a young life at the hands of a psychopathic paedophile. I really felt for Cynthia and though we only caught a glimpse of her in the first book, I really came to like her in this one...though I'm not sure I can entirely trust her judgement, given that it was so destroyed that she can't even trust herself.
So is it like the first book? No. Is it as good as "The Doctor"? In many ways it is below par but in others it surpasses it completely as it is so skillfully written. But one thing is for sure. It, like "The Doctor", is not for the faint-hearted. It is dark and, while it isn't as disturbing as the first book, it is just as chilling. And incredibly thought-provoking.
John Nicholl is an exceptional writer. I have only read these two books by him and I am impressed. I wonder where he will take us next. I look forward to tackling the third and final book in this series "The Father" where readers will reunite with an adult Anthony Mailer some decades after the Galbraith scandal.
Overall, THE WIFE is an intense read that evokes a range of emotions from sorrow to anger to contempt to shock and sadness again. I really didn't think it could match the impact of "The Doctor", but it comes pretty close. It is written so differently to the first book and yet it is just as powerful. Can Nicholl shock us again with "The Father"?
I would like to thank #JohnNicholl, #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheWife in exchange for an honest review.
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