There’s something about big life changes that makes you stop and take stock—of where you are, how you got there, and who’s standing beside you.
Susan ‘Zuzu’ Braeburn is on the cusp of forty. On the surface, she has everything she once dreamed of: a beautiful home, a child, and a successful partner. But something between her and Agnes has been off for a long time, and she can’t help but wonder—what if?
What if she had chosen to live with her father instead of her mother after their divorce? What if she had pursued art instead of law? And, most pressingly, what if she had followed her feelings for her best friend from university, Cash, rather than marrying Agnes?
When an unexpected loss brings Zuzu back to her hometown for a single wintry weekend, those questions become impossible to ignore. She is forced to confront the choices she has made and the uncomfortable truth that time is not infinite.
‘The Other Wife’ is a novel about choices and their consequences. Throughout, there are several ‘Sliding Doors’ moments—pivotal crossroads where Zuzu could have taken a different path. And yet, each time, she chooses to ‘get on the bus’ that leads her to Agnes. The novel’s denouement is particularly poignant; Zuzu mourns the versions of herself she never became, yet even that grief isn’t enough to spur her into action. Perhaps, deep down, she knows this is the life she was always meant to have. But knowing that doesn’t mean she finds it fulfilling.
Thomas-Kennedy’s narrative style is light and conversational, making this an easy and engaging read. The prose has a simple elegance to it, much like softly blended pastels—charming, effortless, never overwhelming. At just over 200 pages, it’s a refreshingly slim novel, and I admire the author’s restraint in an era of increasingly sprawling fiction.
‘The Other Wife’ by Jackie Thomas-Kennedy will be published on 17th July 2025.
Thank you to the Jackie Thomas-Kennedy, Penguin General UK and NetGalley UK for this ARC in return for my honest review.
