DECONSTRUCTING A LIFE

Susie and Jonah Gersten have the perfect life…and perfect marriage. He is a renowned plastic surgeon and she is a floral designer and mother to their four-year-old triplets. They live in a gorgeous home in Shorehaven, Long Island.

At least that’s how Susie sees her world. But then one day, Jonah doesn’t come home from work. And after several days, during which police detectives and private investigators are consulted, the police arrive at her door to announce that her husband Jonah is dead. Murdered. In the East Side apartment of one Dorinda Dillon, a call girl.

Absorbing the shock and horror, Susie is numb. But then, after the initial few hours and days, she has questions. And not just about the fact that her husband was in a call girl’s apartment, or that he was murdered—but about her life and what she believed to be true about it. So Susie begins asking her own questions, much to the chagrin of her “proper” in-laws; she even enlists the help of her grandmother Ethel–who has been estranged from the family for years—and together they form a team of proactive investigators. For Susie is not at all sure of the facts, as the police lay them out, nor is she as convinced as they are that Dorinda, whom they arrested, is the perpetrator.

As Husbands Go: A Novel, by Susan Isaacs, is one of those perfect mixes of comedy, mystery, and thought-provoking social satire that kept me reading and reading. I loved the characters, finely drawn and true-to-life, especially Susie and Ethel. I didn’t care for Babs and Clive, the in-laws, but that was a natural reaction. This story was told in the first person narrative by Susie, so everything was viewed through her perspective.

Throughout this tale, I kept trying to piece the puzzle together, and I must admit that, in the end, I was quite surprised. But then again, the clues were there.

As much as I enjoyed this story, I didn’t find it nearly as compelling as some of this author’s other works, which is why I’m giving it four stars. But it is definitely a book I’d recommend for anyone who loves to laugh and try to figure out a mystery at the same time.