I really enjoyed The Husbands by Chandler Baker, which has been described as a feminist thriller and compared to the Stepford Wives.
This story follows a group of high-powered career women including a writer, therapist, surgeon, tech company CEO, and realtor—all who live in the community of Dynasty Ranch. When Nora, a lawyer, falls in love with one of the homes in the community, she soon gets to know the women of Dynasty Ranch and the secrets they hold.
Nora is asked to investigate the case of the death of Richard, one of the husbands in the community. As she digs into Richard’s death, she uncovers more secrets from the community and learned more about the lives of each of these women. But that’s not all, she soon discovers that the men of Dynasty Ranch are unlike her own husband in that they help their wives with the children, household chores, and even plan extravagant events for the residents of Dynasty Ranch. These doting men seem to support their wives, while also raving about all they do. While Nora is drowning in work at her firm as she works towards becoming partner, she is also handling the household duties—all while expecting her second child.
The Husbands isn’t just a thriller, but it’s a contemporary novel that brings up topics such as male and female equality in the household, the pressures women face to get ahead in the workplace while raising a family, the complexities of female friendships, and the societal influences, expectations, and responsibilities that women carry in their day-to-day lives.
This story will have you thinking about how much you’d want your spouse or significant other to help you around the house and how far would you go to get the help. It will have you question how much of the workload women take on without asking for a hand, and wondering why it is that more men don’t step in to help their wives/significant others. And, when and if they do, would it change how women are viewed or how the women view their partner?
The Husbands virtual book club discussion brought up a lively talk about the pressures women face when trying to make it all work out at home, at work, and in their personal relationships. If you’re interested in checking out this discussion, you can view it here.
We give this book five stars! You will definitely be guessing until about the last 20 pages who was at fault for the death of Richard Marsh.
