Review: Not sure who made me angrier - Dan or Trina
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 15, 2012
We have all seen politicians standing behind a podium, confessing to an extramarital affair while his wife stands stoically beside him.  I always have the same thoughts - How can she just STAND there???  Where is her self-respect???  And more important - how can he subject her to such indignity???  For these reasons, I could not muster an ounce of sympathy for Trina, the constantly cheated-upon Congressman's wife in "His Wife and Daughters", and I wonder if that's how the author intended it.  Trina has got Hillary Clinton's "stand by your man and protect the image at all costs" attitude multiplied by 100. At least we could imagine Hillary giving Bill hell in private.  Trina, on the other hand, asks herself, "Where would I be without my husband?  I couldn't imagine no longer being Mrs. Dan Brath.  Being his wife was a privilege."  She seems to accept Dan's serial infidelity as just the cost of doing business as a political spouse.  On nights when he deigns to come home to her, rather than spend it with a mistress, she showers him with affection.  She blames the women, but absolves her husband of all culpability.Dan's line to Trina after having his most recent affair with Lesley, a 19 year old intern is exposed: "It's my duty to protect you from any further pain."  Great job, pal!  When repeatedly questioned by the media about his affair with Lesley, Dan continues to deny. He insists to Trina that he has nothing to apologize for and that his personal life is his business alone (although his constituents might not see it that way.)The only real innocents in all the sordid mess are the couple's daughters, Jill and Phoebe, who were teenagers at the time the scandal exploded.  Years later, they continue to be impacted, but both have dealt with the situation in very different ways.  When it's revealed that Lesley plans to write a tell-all about her years-ago affair with Dan, the family members are forced to confront their pain anew.It's a testament to the author's strength that this book is so readable, even without any fully admirable characters.  I always enjoy a book that elicits a strong emotional response, even when those emotions are anger or disgust at a character's behavior.  I look forward to reading more from the author.