They meet once a month. They discuss “novels.” The meetings run four hours. I have concerns.
My wife joined a book club three months ago. She says it’s just some women from the neighborhood getting together to discuss literature. Maybe that’s true. But I’ve learned to ask questions. When your wife’s book club meets every third Thursday, same location, same participants, for four-hour sessions—you notice patterns.
I noticed.
The Wife Book Club: Basic Assessment
Here’s what I know. The group consists of seven women. They rotate hosting duties. They read one book per month. Wine is served. My wife comes home relaxed, sometimes laughing about things she won’t fully explain. “You had to be there,” she says. I wasn’t there. That’s the point.
I asked to see the reading list. She showed me. Literary fiction. A monograph on bird watching. A gardening tome. Nothing that raised immediate flags. But that’s exactly what a well-constructed cover would look like. Ordinary. Unremarkable. Forgettable.
Last month they read a novel about a woman who leaves her husband to “find herself” in Portugal. I asked my wife what the group thought about it. She said they had “a really good discussion.” I asked what specifically. She said, “Just about the book, Tucker.”
Just about the book.
Operational Concerns About This Book Club
Let me be clear about what I’m not saying. I’m not saying my wife is involved in anything inappropriate. I trust her. We’ve been married eleven years. She’s a good woman who happens to have joined a monthly gathering with six other women where they consume wine, discuss relationship dynamics in fiction, and laugh about things that apparently require context I don’t have.
What I am saying: four hours is a long time to discuss one book.
I read the Portugal novel myself. Cover to cover. Took me six hours, and I’m a focused reader. The book is 280 pages. Even allowing for thorough analysis, character discussion, and thematic exploration, you’re looking at ninety minutes of material. Two hours maximum.
That leaves two hours unaccounted for.
What Happens In Those Two Hours
I asked my wife directly. She said they talk about “life stuff.” I asked her to elaborate. She said, “Work, kids, marriages. Normal things.” I asked if they discussed our marriage. She paused. Then she said, “Sometimes.”
Sometimes.
I asked what specifically. She said I was being “a lot right now” and went to bed. That was three weeks ago. The next meeting is Thursday. She’s hosting.
My Response
I’ve decided to take a measured approach. I’m not going to interrogate her. I’m not going to surveil the meeting. I’m simply going to pay attention. Note the arrival times. The departure times. The demeanor before and after. The books selected. The wine consumed.
When she came home last Thursday, I asked how it went. She said they just discussed the book. For four hours.
I said nothing.
But I started a file.
About the Author
