The Silent Wife

The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison is a psychological thriller about a failing marriage. Published in 2013, the novel is Harrison’s first entry into the genre, though she had previously published an erotic novel and a non-fiction book on the female orgasm in the 1970s. Harrison passed away from cancer weeks before the novel’s publication. The novel has been compared to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl in terms of both its content—the depiction of a disintegrating marriage—and its structure—both novels feature both his and hers point-of-view chapters. Like many thrillers in its genre, the main characters are a well-off couple whose lives aren’t as perfect as they seem. The novel did not receive any awards, but it was met with critical acclaim and rose to #2 on the New York Times Bestseller List.

This guide uses the 2013 Kindle edition, which contains real page numbers consistent with the print edition.

Content Warnings: The novel and this guide refer to domestic violence, mental illness, sexual violence, childhood sexual abuse, and addiction.

Plot Summary

The novel follows Jodi Brett and Todd Gilbert, a couple in their mid-forties who have been together for 20 years. Todd is a real estate developer; Jodi is a psychotherapist who sees a small number of clients in her home. Despite their long relationship, they are not married and do not have children. They live in a condo in Chicago with their dog and, by all appearances, seem to be a committed couple. However, their relationship is about to collapse under the weight of Todd’s serial infidelities and Jodi’s practiced avoidance; the first chapter reveals that, by the end of the novel, Jodi will find herself to be capable of murder.

Todd’s current affair is with Natasha, a college senior and the daughter of Todd’s oldest friend, Dean Kovacs. Most of Todd’s affairs have been casual, but he feels differently about Natasha. Her youth makes him conscious of his age, but also fills him with an intense passion that has been missing from his relationship with Jodi. Todd and Natasha go away for a weekend at a country inn. Jodi is anxious and unsettled in his absence but resolves to pretend it is not a problem when he returns.

As Todd’s relationship with Natasha progresses, she insists that he leave Jodi and marry her instead. Natasha’s announcement that she is pregnant forces Todd to make a decision. As he secretly begins building a life with Natasha, Todd realizes that he cannot continue to support Jodi as well. In discussion with his lawyer, Todd discovers that, because he and Jodi were never legally married, he does not have any legal or financial obligations to her and eventually begins eviction proceedings against her and cuts off her credit cards. Meanwhile, Natasha’s father, Dean, reacts negatively to the news about the relationship and the baby. He threatens Todd’s life and refuses to attend the wedding.

Overwhelmed by turns that her life has taken, Jodi conceals much of the truth from her friends. One friend, Alison, sees through the pretense. She sympathizes with Jodi and suggests, without explicitly saying so, that Jodi have Todd killed before he is able to marry or change his will to favor Natasha. Alison promises to make the arrangements and Jodi agrees. Jodi sells many of her valuable possessions for cash to online buyers, leaving no paper trail. She travels to a professional conference in Florida during the time the murder is meant to take place. Despite this alibi, the police suspect that Jodi played a role in the murder. They investigate her, making her very anxious, but ultimately discover the men Dean hired to kill Todd. Unlike Jodi, Dean left a paper trail, but the men he hired insist that they did not actually kill Todd. Their protests mean little to the police, and Dean is arrested.

Jodi struggles to reconcile this news with her knowledge of her own guilt. She falls ill or has a nervous breakdown that lasts for five days and ends up in the hospital. She convinces herself that it was Dean and his men who killed Todd, which lets her continue to live her life the way she likes it. With her home safely in her possession and her position as Todd’s heir restored, Jodi returns to her life, though she remains “keenly aware” of how close she came to losing everything.