The Husbands

            

Title: The Husbands

Author: Holly Gramazio

Publisher: Vintage, April 2, 2024

Pages: 344

Genre: Humorous Fiction

When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years.

As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?

What a ride. Lauren learned a lot. She learned a lot about herself and a lot about relationships and other people. I learned a lot about it too. And not all of it is very flattering or glamorous. Even if I really enjoyed this book. 

It starts out a bit like a nightmare. You get home from a night out with friends, and are greeted by your husband. Who you have never met before. Then he goes into the attic for something, and is gone. Only to be replaced by a new husband, and new paint on the walls, and the altered memories of all of your friends and family. Rinse. Repeat. 

We get a few scares and a few bores and a few rom-com montages of relationships. Lauren learns all about the things she doesn't like, and the things she can't abide in a relationship. She sees what happens when someone you aren't ready to leave you goes into the attic, and then she meets a man who climbs out of a different attic every time he climbs into one. 

This is such a funny look at dating app culture. How some women change their whole lives to fit around men they've just met, and how some men just disappear with barely any prompting. I won't give it all away, but the ending was very interesting. It's certainly not one I saw coming. 

Ratings

Stars: 4.5/5

Spice: 1/5