The mad wife

Lulu Mayfield is a 1950s housewife who seems to have it all. Her husband is a successful architect, their son is thriving, and the whole neighborhood recognizes Lulu as the queen of molded gelatin salads. Yet Lulu is exhausted and yearns for more than a life spent following the same Good Housekeeping-recommended cleaning schedule as everyone else and putting her lipstick on by 10 a.m. without fail. Her strange behavior and unwillingness to keep up appearances begin to alarm both her husband and her friends. When an eccentric new neighbor moves in across the street, Lulu becomes obsessed. In a world that prizes conformity, what dangers await women who dare to stand out? In her latest, Church (The Girls We Sent Away) again explores the fates of women who transgress societal norms, vividly capturing how claustrophobic a neighborhood can feel when every misstep becomes fodder for gossip and judgment. VERDICT In a gripping novel that's both emotionally compelling and suspenseful, Church keeps readers guessing about just how reliable Lulu is as a narrator while also exploring her loved ones' and doctors' woefully misguided responses to her deep pain.--Mara Bandy Fass