Foothills Times January 2014 | Page 13

The Wife’s Tale by Lori Lansen Truthfully, I am a bit of a nonfiction aficionado with a taste for fine literature; if I read fiction it is Austen, Bronte, Dostoyevsky, or my personal favorite Pearl S. Buck; so I just don't stray from that path too often. However, upon the prompting of a dear friend who told me to just pick up a novella and read it with open arms; I took her advice. In the shade of the pergola my husband built for me, sipping ice tea whilst my doggies wandered about; I jumped in. I chose Lori Lansens The Wife's Tale because I had heard good things about her previous work The Girls; I thought perhaps this book would be equally thought provoking. I am amazed at how Lori shares experiences in first person as if she is the character so for the reader. The characters come to life, are tangible and vivid. Mary, the Protagonist in The Wife's Tale is a morbidly obese woman struggling with loss of self, intimacy and has a toxic secret she has pushed deep inside of herself. It is only when her husband of 25 years decides to leave her for places unknown that she begins a poignant journey of self discovery, forgiveness and joy. The read is bawdy and raw at times in its descriptions of Mary, but without those descriptions the reader would not know who she really is. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; sometimes when we be