Book Chatter

Lately, I have been picking some really good books. I can’t say that every book has been overwhelmingly liked by others, but for whatever reason, they’ve worked for me. I’ve either enjoyed them because reading them was such an enjoyable experience, or they’ve stretched me a bit as a reader. This got me thinking… why do most people read?

I read to escape, but I also read to confront my fears. I don’t shy away from the dark, depressing stories like some readers do. But, I just finished a wonderfully atmospheric book (can you guess which one?) and then picked up a really heavy read and I just about cried. It physically pained me to read it, yet I forced myself to finish it. Normally this type of book wouldn’t bother me at all, but jumping on that horse after just returning to the stable with the other one really shook me up.

If you only read one type of book, you would miss that feeling of being jarred right out of your senses. Wouldn’t you? Although the feeling wasn’t pleasant, I felt as if it was almost necessary for me to appreciate the writing of that heavier book. Had I read that book after finishing a book like it, I think I would have missed a lot of the raw, bitterness that was contained within those pages.

So my question to you is, why do you read? Is it for pure entertainment? To feel good? To challenge yourself in some way? And if you’ve ever found yourself in a reading funk, have you ever gone back to see what books you read during that time to see if you could have shaken it up a bit?

A Reliable Wife
By Robert Goolrick
(Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Paperback, 9781565129771, January 2010, 305pp.)

The Short of It:

There is a grittiness to this story that gets into the folds of your clothes and reminds you at every turn that these people are not what they appear to be.

The Rest of It:

Ralph Truitt is a simple man, looking for an honest woman. He places an ad in the paper for a reliable wife and what he gets in return, is Catherine Land.

Ralph and Catherine, seemingly proper, are anything but. Deep down, each possess desires and wants that the other is at first, unaware of. They assume their roles without too much fuss but what Goolrick does next is strip them bare. In just a few pages, you quickly realize that these characters are more like animals than human beings. They become creatures… conniving, desperate creatures hunting for the one thing they believe can make them whole again.

This book is wrought with sexual frustration and desire. Catherine’s every move flames Ralph’s desire for her and let me tell you, frigid, she is not! Except, she has some secrets and then things get really bad for Ralph. During this dark moment in time though, Catherine and Ralph seem to evolve into something else and throughout all of it, the book is literally glued to your hands.

I could not put this book down. Catherine and Ralph fascinated me to no end. Did I tire of the endless sexual tension? Not really. I think in the hands of another writer, I would have been turned off by its relentlessness, but in Goolrick’s hands I found myself completely taken with the characters and curious about what makes them tick.

It’s not a bodice ripper, but it sort of is. It’s not a psychological thriller, but it could be. It’s multifaceted and complex and like its characters, this story could be many things. I loved this aspect of it. And the fact that I could relate to these characters, was even more surprising. Considering I’ve never quite met a character like Catherine…although she did remind me a little of Cathy from East of Eden. Notice the similarity in names? Coincidence? Maybe.

I feel quite silly for not having read this book sooner. If you have it, pull it out and read it and if you don’t, get a copy soon because I’d love to discuss it with you.

Source: Purchased