The Rebel Wife: A Novel
When her husband dies of a disturbing blood fever, Augusta Branson escapes the strict bonds of marriage in the Reconstruction-era South only to find herself trapped by unexpected debt. Her uncle steps in to care for her but becomes frustratingly, then disturbingly controlling and mysteriously hostile. As Augusta awakens to the political and racial tension around her, she realizes that she is caught up in an unexpectedly complicated web. Her husband’s political machinations put her in danger even after his death, and a plague-time anxiety begins to take over the town, furthering her desperation and creeping terror. Staying in her socially acceptable place may be the most dangerous thing she can do, but breaking free in an atmosphere of mind-numbing heat and simmering fear isn’t easy. Gothically atmospheric to the teeth, this ominous tale also smartly derives much of its tension from the sinister social and political realities of postwar Southern society. The suspense is exquisitely honed, verging on overdone but pulled back just in time to make for a wonderfully chilling—yet overheated—read. --Meg Kinney