The Husbands

 

By Chandler Baker

Nora Spangler has a problem: her husband. She is a working mom and her husband, Hayden, doesn't put as much effort into helping out around the house as she would like. Basically she is tired of having to tell him what needs to be done. She wants him to pitch in without being asked or told. If there are dirty dishes in the sink, put them in the dishwasher. If laundry needs done, just do it. Pick up the toys, wipe your child's runny nose, stop at the grocery without being asked. He's a grown man, can he not see when there is spilled food on the floor? Or that the toilet paper roll is empty? Why does he need his wife to point these things out to him? It's not so much that Hayden isn't willing to help out. It's that he can't seem to figure out for himself what obviously needs to be done.

Nora also wants to move and has found a house she really likes in a subdivision called Dynasty Ranch. The homeowners association is really particular about who they want living there. The main leaders of the HOA is a group of professional women very much like Nora, all accomplished working mothers: authors, psychologists, surgeons, realtors. But unlike Nora, these women's husbands are helpful and self-motivated which puzzles and intrigues Nora. So when Nora and Hayden decide they could use some marriage counseling, one of the HOA women offers her services as a psychologist.

Not too far into the sessions with Dr. White, it becomes apparent to the reader, if not to Nora, the Dr. White is conditioning Hayden into becoming the ideal husband. When Nora finally grasps what is going on, she realizes that something deadly has been happening at Dynasty Ranch. And if she doesn't go along, it could be fatal for both her and Hayden.

This was a fun read. Nora is trying to make partner at the law firm where she works and all the stress of coping with her job and her child and her home life has her on the verge of a mental breakdown and yet she still decides this is the time to have another baby and shop for a new house and try to impress the ladies of the HOA. She just keeps piling more and more on her plate. No wonder she lies awake at night, crushed under the burden of unrelenting responsibilities. But life of the women she meets at Dynasty Ranch is everything she wants her life to be. Seeing her come to the realization that there is a steep price to pay to have that perfect life was an enjoyable journey and, I must admit, very beguiling. 

Here is a review by Kirkus Reviews.