BOOK REVIEW HAUS FRAU BY JILL ALEXANDER ESSBAUM

Haunting and elegant, Hausfrau is the exceptional debut novel from the prize-winning American poet, Jill Alexander Essbaum.

Anna was a good wife, mostly . . .

Anna Benz lives in comfort and affluence with her husband and three young children in Dietlikon, a picture-perfect suburb of Zurich. Anna, an American expat, has chosen this life far from home; but, despite its tranquility and order, inside she is falling apart.

Feeling adrift and unable to connect with her husband or his family; with the fellow expatriates who try to befriend her; or even, increasingly, her own thoughts and emotions, Anna attempts to assert her agency in the only way that makes sense to her: by engaging in short-lived butintense sexual affairs.

But adultery, too, has its own morality, and when Anna finds herself crossing a line, she will set off a terrible chain of events that ends in unspeakable tragedy. As her life crashes down around her, Anna must then discover where one must go when there is no going back . . .

Firstly thank you to sam for sending me a copy to review.

Ive gone to review this a few times and struggled .

I didn’t love this book but didn’t hate and it did leave a effect on me so to me that says a book has power.

This is a intense read and there were certain times I could relate to Anna as she is feeling trapped and frustrated but on the whole she irritated me and she come across very selfish . I didn’t gel with the book and its very bleak .

However there are quotes and sentences that did touch me especially where she was seeing a  therapist .

It is certainly well written but lacked a great storyline for me personally buy I can see others will really enjoy.

There are some steamy parts …maybe there needed more ??

Published 26 march