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A review by roglows
The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond
4.0
Ok, this is a rough one. More of a 3.5 to 4 stars.
On one hand, I enjoyed the direct approach to the prose. Descriptive without being flowery. I liked the premise a lot, as disturbing as it was. It reminded me a tiny bit of The Girl Before; a legalistic, overly strict approach to a lifestyle and how those seductive boundaries soon become stifling. Murderously so.
On the other hand, the whole book made me anxious and sometimes the characters got on my nerves. Jake could be too perfect at times. Alice too inconsiderate. With regard to traditional marriage/gender roles, I liked that their roles were kind of flipped (he's the devoted therapist, always home to make dinner and welcome her. She's the successful, over the top busy attorney, always late to dinner and leaving messes). There were a lot of references to the bourgeoisie lifestyle (I get it; I've lived in the Bay Area), so many I started rolling my eyes. Were these indulgent or ironic? Couldn't tell.
I just don't know. TMP was certainly an ambitious undertaking. I loved the varied approaches on marriage and what of means to different people. Some of it felt a bit heavy handed (if not a bit preachy). Sometimes I really enjoyed this book, other times I just wanted it to end. The ending was, in fact, quite satisfying. This would make an excellent movie or show.
**got an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
On one hand, I enjoyed the direct approach to the prose. Descriptive without being flowery. I liked the premise a lot, as disturbing as it was. It reminded me a tiny bit of The Girl Before; a legalistic, overly strict approach to a lifestyle and how those seductive boundaries soon become stifling. Murderously so.
On the other hand, the whole book made me anxious and sometimes the characters got on my nerves. Jake could be too perfect at times. Alice too inconsiderate. With regard to traditional marriage/gender roles, I liked that their roles were kind of flipped (he's the devoted therapist, always home to make dinner and welcome her. She's the successful, over the top busy attorney, always late to dinner and leaving messes). There were a lot of references to the bourgeoisie lifestyle (I get it; I've lived in the Bay Area), so many I started rolling my eyes. Were these indulgent or ironic? Couldn't tell.
I just don't know. TMP was certainly an ambitious undertaking. I loved the varied approaches on marriage and what of means to different people. Some of it felt a bit heavy handed (if not a bit preachy). Sometimes I really enjoyed this book, other times I just wanted it to end. The ending was, in fact, quite satisfying. This would make an excellent movie or show.
**got an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.