Between Husbands and Wives by Susannah Glenn

Publisher's Synopsis

On a cold, dark night, two cars collide …

Inside the vehicle at fault, Jennifer Ashby survives with barely a scratch. In the wreckage of the second, the occupants are not so lucky. Jennifer’s good character helps her escape jail, but she is traumatised by the event.

Desperate for a change, and with her marriage buckling under the stress, she convinces her husband Jon to move to the beautiful but wild Daintree region, far away from family and friends.

As Jon spends long hours at his new job and Jennifer makes plans to absolve her lingering guilt, cracks begin to form in their idyllic new life. Will the shadow of their past continue to haunt them? Will their dark secret be exposed?

My Review of Between Husbands and Wives by Susannah Glenn

Between Husbands and Wives is the debut novel by Australian author Susannah Glenn, a brooding domestic drama that constantly builds tension.  Right from the first page there’s a pervading sense of grief and trauma surrounding Jen Ashby, the story’s main character. 

A car accident lies in Jen’s recent past, an incident that appears to have virtually stripped her of her confidence and this has prompted a move out of the hustle and bustle of Sydney and up to the far more quiet Far North Queensland town of Mossman. In the early stages we’re given small tasters of information to spur us on to keep reading to find out why the family is fleeing the big city.

When Jen and five year old son Jasper arrive at their new home they’re greeted by a jubilant Jon who had arrived early to start his new job with the local council. From the moment they arrive it feels as though warning bells are sounding from Jon’s reminder of the sacrifice he’s made in moving for Jen to his disapproval over her plans to resume her photography career.

As an observer, the coercive control being used by Jon was very obvious, but clearly the mental trauma that Jen had been through was enough to leave her doubting herself while also being prepared to excuse his behaviour. In many respects there was an air of inevitability about where the marriage was heading. That being said, the road leading there is loaded with unexpected twists and turns making for some delicious moments. 

As well as proving to be a dramatic domestic thriller, Susannah Glenn has presented the Daintree region of Far North Queensland in the most wonderful light. The beauty, danger and tranquillity are present in equal measure highlighting the paradise that lies outside the more densely populated tourist spots.

The problem of domestic violence in its many different forms has provided rich fodder for the crime fiction industry and in her debut novel, Susannah Glenn has done a creditable job in the portrayal of Jen Ashby. Once a strong and successful professional photographer, we witness in Jen a woman who doubts herself, excuses abusive behaviour and goes out of her way to please the person who’s making her life difficult. There is still strength to be seen but it’s painfully slow to emerge.

Between Husbands and Wives is a slow build story filled with suspense and intrigue, a domestic drama that is set in a majestic part of Australia and is wonderfully described in the narrative.I feel that a good domestic thriller should provoke strong emotional responses from the actions and responses of its characters and that’s exactly what I felt while reading this story. This was particularly the case over the dramatic final few chapters that provided a satisfying ending.