The Senator’s Wife by Sue Miller
The spouse of a politician – what a great topic for discussion, and Sue Miller gives us a lot to talk about. Cheating spouses are never as infamous as those in the political arena and the higher up you go the better.
People crave such stories but why? Not all politicians are wealthy, but there is the element of power. A politician usually has excellent people skills and is able to use those skills to get elected and to get things done. Our society is fascinated by such people, but they live their lives under a microscope. Many of them can not live up to our expectations and fall from grace. When a politician loses everything because of an infidelity, society is riveted.
The author takes us into the world of power and into a marriage soaked with infidelity. The author introduces us to the main characters of the story, Delia Naughton, the wife of former U.S. Sen. Tom Naughton, and Meri and Nathan, who just bought the other side of the attached brick town house that Delia owns.
Meri didn’t want to move or have a baby and was brooding on the porch when she first meets Delia. In that exchange Meri brightens, “The attention of older women always does this to her. Makes her feel, somehow, blessed.” Meri didn’t want to be like her mother, but she thought Delia was compelling. Why? Is it older women only that garner her attention, or perhaps Meri perceives Delia’s world as somehow different from her mother’s. Our book club spent a good deal of time regarding why Meri admires Delia so much and when she appears to be a completely different type of person. Delia’s portrayal of a good-altruistic person is in sharp contrast to Meri’s self-centered depiction.
It is the contrast of the two females that gives the book a subtle tension, while following their lives through various stages of friendship. The friendship culminates in an awful confrontation. There is no real understanding of why Delia accepts Meri as such a close friend so quickly. A woman Delia’s age has experience to guide her and yet she makes some careless decisions.
Why do spouses living under a microscope stay with their unfaithful spouses for the whole world to see? Great question for book club to talk about – the book only tells Delia and Meri’s story without adding commentary and there was a lot of debate as to what everyone would do.
At the end of the book we discussed Meri’s look back and her understanding of what and why she did what she did.
Very good book for discussion – highly recommend it for book clubs.
Rating: 8