I just finished reading, “A Reliable Wife” by Robert Goolrick and found a reader’s guide and discussion section at the end of the book; my first thought was: Is there really anything to discuss about this book? How could a Book Club get past a few sips of wine before exhausting everything there could possibly be to say about it?

Like many novels in the suspense genre, “A Reliable Wife” is a quick and fairly entertaining read- it was kind of a bad cross between “Rebecca” and a watered-down version of “Vanity Fair” with only a couple of plot twists thrown in for good measure. None of the characters in “A Reliable Wife” are particularly likable and the author does little to set the scene of novel, which takes place in Wisconsin.

I’ll try to avoid anything that might spoil the beach read for you, but will give a loose plot description; a woman answers an ad from a man looking for a (you guessed it) “A Reliable Wife” by describing herself as a “Simple Honest Woman” and including a picture of a plainer relative. The man is rich, looking for someone who he believes is his son, and seems kind of plain- from the descriptions included in the book, it’s kind of difficult to really a grasp of what he is like.

Of course, as you probably already know because of either your knowledge of similar books or your incredibly vast intelligence, not all is as it seems in the large Wisconsin house despite initial appearances to the contrary. The woman is not quite as honest as she made herself out to be, nor is she is as simple. She has a plan of her own which doesn’t seem to bode well for her husband.

While I can easily understand why “A Reliable Wife” would be recommended as a good, quick summer read, I have a difficult time understanding the number of positive reviews that I read about it. I found it enjoyable, but definitely didn’t find it “intoxicating” (Washington Post Book Review) or an “Engrossing and Addicting read” )NPR’s Morning Edition. The quantity and quality of the reviews causes me to question just how literate society has become, but that’s a weightier topic that I should address at a later date.

In short, for anyone looking for fun, fast read as an alternative to TV, “A Reliable Wife” is a safe bet- just don’t choose it as your Book Club selection because the conversation topics will be severely limited.