Who Would Like This Book:
If you love a dark, Hitchcockian slow-burn, "Mrs. March" will pull you in and keep you guessing about what's real and what's not. Think psychological suspense meets 1950s New York high society, with a dash of literary flair. Perfect for readers who adore character-driven stories about unraveling minds (fans of Shirley Jackson or Ottessa Moshfegh, take note!) and anyone interested in themes of identity, isolation, and paranoia. Audio fans will also appreciate the stellar narration in the audiobook version.
Who May Not Like This Book:
If you crave clear-cut mysteries, likable protagonists, or rapid-fire plots, this might not be your cup of tea. Some found Mrs. March too unlikable or her descent too disturbing, with the story feeling claustrophobic, repetitive, or even frustrating. Others disliked the heavy focus on psychological decline over traditional thriller or whodunnit elements. The book deals with mental illness in a way that not everyone found fresh or sensitive.
About:
Mrs. March is a psychological thriller that follows the titular character, a New York upper-class housewife, as she spirals into paranoia and madness after suspecting that her husband's bestselling novel is based on her. The book delves into Mrs. March's delusions, her descent into psychosis, and her increasing inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. Set against the backdrop of New York's upper class society, the novel explores themes of identity, perception, and the weight of societal expectations.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book contains several triggers including themes of mental illness, domestic distress, references to death and murder, and general psychological distress.
From The Publisher:
“I read Virginia’s novel in one sitting and was so captured by it I knew I had to make it and play Mrs. March. As a character, she is fascinating, complex, and deeply human and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into her.” —Elisabeth Moss A Jenny Lawson "Fantastic Strangeling Book Club" Selection Oprah Daily • Best of the Month USA Today • Books Not to Miss Who is Mrs.
March? George March’s latest novel is a smash. No one could be prouder than his dutiful wife, Mrs. March, who revels in his accolades. A careful creature of routine and decorum, she lives a precariously controlled existence on the Upper East Side until one morning, when the shopkeeper of her favorite patisserie suggests that her husband’s latest protagonist—a detestable character named Johanna—is based on Mrs.
March herself. Clutching her ostrich leather pocketbook and mint-colored gloves, she flees the shop. What could have merited this humiliation? That one casual remark robs Mrs. March of the belief that she knew everything about her husband—and herself—thus sending her on an increasingly paranoid journey that begins within the pages of a book.
While snooping in George’s office, Mrs. March finds a newspaper clipping about a missing woman. Did George have anything to do with her disappearance? He’s been going on a lot of “hunting trips” up north with his editor lately, leaving Mrs.
March all alone at night with her tormented thoughts, and the cockroaches that have suddenly started to appear, and strange breathing noises . . . As she begins to decode her husband’s secrets, her deafening anxiety and fierce determination threaten everyone in her wake—including her stoic housekeeper, Martha, and her unobtrusive son, Jonathan, whom she loves so profoundly, when she remembers to love him at all.
Combining a Hitchcockian sensibility with wickedly dark humor, Virginia Feito, a brilliantly talented and, at times, mischievous newcomer, offers a razor-sharp exploration of the fragility of identity.
A mesmerizing novel of psychological suspense and casebook insecurity turned full-blown neurosis, Mrs. March will have you second-guessing your own seemingly familiar reflection in the mirror.
Ratings (11)
Incredible (3) | |
Loved It (3) | |
Liked It (1) | |
It Was OK (3) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (28):
Read It (11) | |
Want To Read (14) | |
Not Interested (3) |
2 comment(s)
Mrs. March is a disturbing and haunting novel. The reader enters her world and experiences the devolution of her mental health and sees her life spinning out of control. Each passing chapter drew me in and kept me coming back, even through some confusion.
What was NOT clear, is the time in which this story was taking place. The attitude and lifestyle of the Marches suggeted NYC in the '50s or 60s: but their son had a Rubik's Cube, introduced in the mid 1970s. This disconnected (for me) niggled my mind as I read, trying to place these events into a timeline of American society. But a compelling read.
I found this to be a rather unique domesyic thriller about an house wife in the 50s, realizing she might know her husband as well as she thought and his mysterious work and a lot of suspicious happenings. Enjoyed the audiobook anf really hope I can find it as an physical book in my library soon enough to reread!
What can you read after
Mrs. March?
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