A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Our book club has three new members and I was so happy that A Reliable Wife was the first book we discussed together!  While it is true that this story contains several "bodice-ripping" chapters, this book is a fabulous selection for a book club for so many different reasons.  First, the characters are quite complex.  Goolrick took great care in creating each of his fascinating characters.  A reader cannot help but become emotionally involved in each character's plight.  Hate, love, and empathy, but NEVER indifference.  Second, the author painted such a descriptive landscape for each setting/location, that you could not help but speak about symbolism.  [Insert congratulatory message to all high school English literature teachers here:  your students really were listening!]  The contrast between the frozen life the characters faced in Wisconsin and the general moral corruption of St. Louis is beautifully presented.  Third, the overall story is one of forgiveness; something all readers can relate to in some way.