Maud Ventura

This is a strange book about a 40-year old woman OBSESSED with her husband of 13 years and the lengths she goes through to keep him hers. It’s described as suspenseful and darkly funny, but I found neither to be really true. However, I didn’t dislike the book; it was just different than what I was expecting.

The protagonist is a maddening character and readers are trapped in her head with her troubling thoughts. I’m not sure the epilogue was a satisfying enough payoff after enduring this woman, but maybe you could take the whole thing as a cautionary tale.

I think that Maud Ventura is a talented writer, and Emma Ramadan did a beautiful job translating her words into English from the original French. Oddly enough, the protagonist in this book is also a French to English translator.

I would recommend this to fans of quiet psychological suspense novels, perhaps like Mrs. March. Borrowed from the library.… (more)