Reader Question – The book about the wife & mother who discovers her husband is having an affair with a younger colleague…

Elaine (from our Facebook crew) needs our book help! I LOVE the detail in this question AND this is totally up my kindle-throwing alley. ROAR!!! Cheating husband alert, and I am dying to read this.

She asks:

Hi Maryse,

I’m based in the UK and of course I’m an avid reader! I have spent hours reading your blog for book suggestions to read and wow 👌 thank you, your reviews and those of your posters have been amazing ( and so helpful). Brilliant! Because of it, I have been so busy reading!

I am asking if you could possibly help me find a book that I read some time ago? I have no idea how to make a request on your book blog. Here goes –

The trope is a cheating husband… he is/ was happily married. He is successful working in the city (London, I think), he travels from the leafy suburbs each day.

The book begins with his loving, ditzy wife forgetting there is a retirement party at her husband’s place if work. She quickly leaves her country kitchen and the three children with family friends to join him. She arrives and meets a new young co-worker not realising the young woman has met her husband and already there is attraction between them. The wife takes her shoes out of her large bag and swaps from comfy shoes.

The husband is strongly attracted to his new co-worker and he has affair. The wife eventually suspects and is devastated, there is a phonecall to their home about her father in law who is seriously ill in hospital. The wife tracks her husband to his mistresses flat, she is so upset she is sick all over a white settee.

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They separate and husband lives with the mistress.

There is humour when the husband looks after his three children at weekends – one is still in nappies, the young daughter delights in crayoning all over the mistresses furniture. The baby ends up in a messy nappy etc none of which pleases the mistress.

The wife is distraught but puts her efforts into cookery and rekindles her relationship with a handsome old friend who is also involved in the food industry, the wife is a strong character but busy with family life. The mistress is jealous of her.

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Husband realises he has made a terrible mistake, he rings his wife late at night and mistress overhears. The mistress and wife meet and there are revelations for both women, with the mistress deciding to walk away.

I can’t remember more than this but it is driving me crazy not being able to remember the title or author of this book. If you have any advice for me on how to proceed, I would be grateful and relieved!

I’m a retired teacher who spends far too much time reading! I read all kinds of fiction from Diana Gabaldon (when her first Outlander book was known as “Cross Stitch”) to “Discovery of Witches”…the list is way too long! I reiterate – your blog and research is nothing short of genius when looking for a good book to read! I think it would be quicker to list the genres I don’t read!

Hopeful and respectfully yours,

Elaine Southgate

Anyone have a guess?

➔➔➔  Browse more reader questions (solved & unsolved) here. 😀 Maybe you’ll find a solved one to read or have a guess for us for one that’s still unsolved.

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➔➔➔  Love this trope? Browse more features and reviews on my blog of books that include infidelity issues.