Genre Fiction
![Rachel Hawkins - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_rachel_hawkins.jpg)
The Wife Upstairs: A Novel
Instant New York Times and USA Today Bestseller
"Compulsively readable...a gothic thriller laced with arsenic." ––EW
One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2021: CNN • Newsweek • Vulture • PopSugar • Parade • BuzzFeed • E!Online • TimeOut • Woman's Day • Goodreads • She Reads • Good Housekeeping • CrimeReads • Frolic • Hello!• Mystery and Suspense
January 2021 Indie Next Pick and #1 LibraryReads Pick
A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, Rachel Hawkins's The Wife Upstairs combines Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.
Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.
But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates' most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can't help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she's always yearned for.
Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie's heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?
With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won't stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature's most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?
"Compulsively readable...a gothic thriller laced with arsenic." ––EW
One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2021: CNN • Newsweek • Vulture • PopSugar • Parade • BuzzFeed • E!Online • TimeOut • Woman's Day • Goodreads • She Reads • Good Housekeeping • CrimeReads • Frolic • Hello!• Mystery and Suspense
January 2021 Indie Next Pick and #1 LibraryReads Pick
A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, Rachel Hawkins's The Wife Upstairs combines Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.
Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.
But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates' most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can't help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she's always yearned for.
Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie's heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?
With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won't stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature's most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?
Editorial Reviews
"A Southern Gothic twist on Jane Eyre that's full of suspense, twists and turns...the story of this twisted love triangle will have you on the edge of your seat all the way until the end." ––CNN
"A delightfully surprising and suspenseful twist on Jane Eyre."––Newsweek
"Consider us enthralled." ––The Skimm
"A clever page-turner...this modern Gothic novel proves that creaky houses that harbor big secrets never go out of style." ––Oprahmag.com
"A delicious thriller that you'll likely want to read in a single sitting." ––TimeOut
"Thesis: Any thriller that has the word "wife" in the title is going to be good. And proof comes courtesy of Hawkins' modern retelling of Jane Eyre, which is the year's first irresistible page-turner that will keep you up at night." ––E! Online
"What would have happened if Jane Eyre had not been a naïve innocent with a heart of gold? Grab this page-turner and find out." ––Vulture
"A thrilling, suspenseful tale of will-they-or-won't-they that will keep you on the edge." ––Woman's Day
"Read to find out whether either of them can ever escape their secrets, or if their forbidden tryst is doomed to failure." ––Good Housekeeping
"With an even darker twist, this novel delivers a one-of-a-kind take on a well-known gothic tale. In addition to the suspenseful story line, the distorted love triangle and the impassivity of the Thornfield residents will have readers feeling simultaneously discombobulated and fulfilled."––Library Journal (starred review)
"The Wife Upstairs is a thrill ride [and] the pace is hurtling...I felt implicated, dubious, off-kilter as I navigated this elaborate masque of a story." ––Southern Review of Books
"This compelling retelling of Jane Eyre deftly serves up a delicious mystery with a side of biting social commentary." ––Shelf Awareness
"When I say I couldn't put down The Wife Upstair...
"A delightfully surprising and suspenseful twist on Jane Eyre."––Newsweek
"Consider us enthralled." ––The Skimm
"A clever page-turner...this modern Gothic novel proves that creaky houses that harbor big secrets never go out of style." ––Oprahmag.com
"A delicious thriller that you'll likely want to read in a single sitting." ––TimeOut
"Thesis: Any thriller that has the word "wife" in the title is going to be good. And proof comes courtesy of Hawkins' modern retelling of Jane Eyre, which is the year's first irresistible page-turner that will keep you up at night." ––E! Online
"What would have happened if Jane Eyre had not been a naïve innocent with a heart of gold? Grab this page-turner and find out." ––Vulture
"A thrilling, suspenseful tale of will-they-or-won't-they that will keep you on the edge." ––Woman's Day
"Read to find out whether either of them can ever escape their secrets, or if their forbidden tryst is doomed to failure." ––Good Housekeeping
"With an even darker twist, this novel delivers a one-of-a-kind take on a well-known gothic tale. In addition to the suspenseful story line, the distorted love triangle and the impassivity of the Thornfield residents will have readers feeling simultaneously discombobulated and fulfilled."––Library Journal (starred review)
"The Wife Upstairs is a thrill ride [and] the pace is hurtling...I felt implicated, dubious, off-kilter as I navigated this elaborate masque of a story." ––Southern Review of Books
"This compelling retelling of Jane Eyre deftly serves up a delicious mystery with a side of biting social commentary." ––Shelf Awareness
"When I say I couldn't put down The Wife Upstair...
Readers Top Reviews
JenJen MartinaEmi
I really had a hard time putting the book down. I wish I could read it in one sitting! I liked the suspense.
Nenia CampbellJen
Jane Eyre is one of my favorite literary classics, so when I found out that this was a (loose) retelling of the story, only as a murder mystery, I was so excited. And it's really good, too. Jane is living in the South, working as a dog-walker for a snobby suburban community, when she is nearly run over by a man named Eddie. Eddie is good-looking, rich, and single. Surely, it must be too good to be true. How could a man like him be alone? Well, he wasn't always. He had a wife, and then one day, she and her friend disappeared, never to be found. Jane and Eddie have a whirlwind romance and she enjoys lording her new-found power and status among the people who used to look down her noses at her. But the more she learns about her new, soon-to-be-husband's past wife, who lurks in every shadow of their home, the more she wonders... what really happened to Bea Rochester? So, some of my friends weren't crazy about this one but I LOVED it. There are three narrators, told in parts: Jane, Bea, and Eddie. I loved the decision to make Jane kind of a jaded and bitter opportunist. I love morally ambiguous women and her character felt totally believable to me. I loved the Southern Gothic vibes of the setting (that flooded forest beneath the lake! POETRY). I even liked Bea, who was hardly a saint herself. And Eddie-- well, maybe he's not the Mr. Rochester you're looking for, but his relationship to both Bea and Jane was both complex and, sometimes, HOT. I would say this is more of an homage than a straightforward retelling but I think it fits comfortably in the niche of domestic thrillers that seem to be so popular these days. It actually reminded me a lot of Rebecca Reid's THE TRUTH HURTS, so I think if you enjoyed that book, you'll love this one. 4.5 out of 5 stars
Eve O’CativeNenia
It’s a very captivating novel but by the end I didn’t like any of the people in it. Not a single person. I understood them, but I didn’t like them. If you like novels about bad people doing bad things, then this is for you. If you find it pointless to devote precious hours of your life focusing on ways for people to hurt each other, then skip this and find a book with at least one redeeming character.
EfromthebronxEve
Four of us read it, fun to guess the outcome, it at least held our attention. Nothing special about the writing. I guess I’d call it a “beach read.”
Brenis Family Efr
As someone who used to live in the South and a lover of gothic novels, modern gothic novels, and mysteries, The Wife Upstairs hit just right. The characters were exceptionally well developed while also managing to be mysterious and surprising, and while the twists and turns weren’t exactly unexpected or shocking, they were executed in such a way that I enjoyed every moment. Additionally, the city of Birmingham and its suburbs were superbly written and represented, and, like in any good gothic novel, the setting was a character in and of itself. If you’re looking for something groundbreaking and life changing, the truth is that this won’t be it. But if you are looking for a well written modern mystery or a creative retelling of a gothic classic, you can’t go wrong here.
