by Anna Funder
First published 2022
Anna Funder's "Wifedom" opens on an ordinary suburban home, where Elise, a dutiful wife and mother, is slowly losing her grip. As she navigates the mundane routines of domesticity, cracks begin to appear in the façade of her perfect life. Elise's husband, James, is distant and preoccupied, leaving her to shoulder the burdens of their household alone. When a chance encounter with a stranger awakens long-buried desires, Elise finds herself torn between the comfortable familiarity of her marriage and the allure of the unknown. As she delves deeper into the mystery of her own dissatisfaction, Elise uncovers a web of deception that threatens to unravel her world. Funder's captivating novel explores the complexities of modern marriage, the power of self-discovery, and the courage it takes to confront the lies we tell ourselves.
Genres: domestic-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: domestic-drama, unreliable-narrator
464 pages · Hardcover · Knopf