The Half Wives
May 22, 1897, is the day young Jack Plageman died, leaving his parents, Henry and Marilyn, forever seeking some sense of normalcy and control. We don’t learn how Jack died until well into the story, but we follow his parents through this horrendous anniversary day that doesn’t quite proceed in the usual pattern.
Henry, a former Lutheran minister, has been chucked in jail for protesting the moving of the cemetery where Jack is buried. It’s not the protest that’s the problem; it’s Henry’s discombobulated, loud presentation that offended the other people present at the hearing. Henry fills his days memorizing Lutheran quotes and vague works of philosophy, while Marilyn makes sure every second of her day is full of busywork, whether at home or at the charitable groups where she volunteers and finds purpose. At the same time, the narrator gives us gorgeous details about the once-intimate bond between the couple, juxtaposed by their jagged connection in the present. We also experience the confused thoughts of Lucy, once Henry’s lover, and their daughter, Blue, now separated from Henry. Lucy, tortured by her need to be with him, has been apart from him for months, much to Blue’s chagrin.
The revelations and shocks of that day will be challenged by one man’s generous but simple offer to save the sanity of the main characters, one astonishing to all and therefore, cause for suspicion. The musings of each character, not just about the loss of Jack, are the essence of this mournful day. It’s the evolving muddle of their thoughts and feelings that rivets the reader’s attention to the last humbling page.
