The Soldier’s Wife
Joanna Trollope – Doubleday
It’s always good when a novel can comfortably straddle the line between chick lit and serious, timely issues, and Joanna Trollope’s latest book does this extremely well. Poignant and topical, it explores the aftermath of war and how the relationships between soldiers and
their families and friends drastically change after returning from the battlefield.
Dan Riley has retuned home from Afghanistan after a six-month tenure with the British army, much to the delight of his beautiful wife, Alexa, and his three children. Despite his joy in coming home after the horrors of war, Dan finds it hard to adjust back into normal life, much to the disdain and frustration of Alexa, who can’t figure out why her husband is suddenly wholeheartedly devoted to the army.
When family life gets harder and starts to take its toll, a despondent Alexa takes comfort with another man, and a once solid marriage begins to look shaky as she does whatever she can to cope with the pressures of being an army wife. While this book doesn’t offer too many surprises as far as the plot goes, Joanna shapes her characters well, so much so it feels as if she could be writing about any group of women and the pressures they face.
Joanna is famed for writing about vocations, as she did in her bestseller The Rector’s Wife, and this book follows a similar vein. Surprisingly relatable and enjoyable, The Soldier’s Wife has more grit than the usual chick lit, with a bit of humour and heartbreak thrown in. Fans of authors such as Lesley Pearce and Erica James will love this book – it’s beautifully written and compelling. While there may not be many twists and turns, the frankness of The Soldier’s Wife will keep you reading.
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