#2: The Pilot's Wife

Last night I finished reading "The Pilot's Wife" by Anita Shreve, and I woke up still thinking about what I read. Personally, I find that to be the first sign of a good book. I don't always dream about books or wake up still wondering about the characters. When the characters, or any of the aspects of a book, stay with me it is one of the best indicators that I have read something truly unforgettable.

"The Pilot's Wife," is about a woman named Kathryn who is awakened in the middle of the night to the news that her husband was flying a plane that exploded off the coast of Ireland. After receiving this news Kathryn slowly learns that she may not have known her husband as well as she thought she did. The book follows her through the time following his death and through the discoveries she makes about him and how she copes with them.

I found the ending of the book the be both shocking and kind of comforting at the same time. It really made me stop and think. I asked myself how well I know my own husband and what I would have done if I were Kathryn. I asked myself what I would do if I were Kathryn several times throughout the book. I wondered to myself how I would handle it if my husband died and I evaluated all of her decisions, considering whether they would be my course of action or not.

Although there were things that Kathryn did that I would not have done, I still didn't find much fault with the way that she handled things. "The Pilot's Wife" gives an excellent overview of the way that people grieve. It doesn't go through the grief process in a clinical way, it illustrates the process in a very raw manner. No two people grieve the same way and no two people end up in the same place as a result of grief. Watching Kathryn's journey and learning where she ends up is fascinating. It becomes even more intriguing once the truth is revealed and Kathryn has to evaluate everything that she knows and knew about the man that she loved.

I was impressed with the style of writing and the way the author played the story out. The story is written to include flashbacks of the marriage and the life before the crash. It brings a very revealing sense to the story, making sure that the reader knows the family before they experienced the loss. It also helps to answer the questions regarding what Kathryn knew and didn't know about her husband and in some sense it also serves to deepen the mystery as the story unfolds.

All in all, I loved the book. I would gladly add it to my collection, would happily recommend it to friends, and would probably read it again someday. It is a book well suited to a woman who enjoys suspenseful books but is not exactly looking for a thriller or a mystery. This book is less about the mystery and more about the people. It will not warm your heart but it will make you think. I think it is a must read for women who love to read.