Everything about ‘The Husbands’ by Holly Gramazio called to me. It’s the writer and game designer’s first novel and I believe first novels hold immense potential. But apart from that fact, the bright blue cover with neon orange ladder and lightbulb, blurbs by two of my favorite authors, Marian Keyes and Gabrielle Zevin, and the plural form of husband all seemed to promise a rollicking read. It felt like a treat and I’m pleased to say that it was every bit as fun as I thought it would be. 

The Husbands has a solid premise and what makes it better is that the writing is witty too. One night drunk Lauren finds a strange man in her flat who claims to be her husband. There is lots of evidence that attest to the fact though Lauren can’t remember ever getting married to this man. There are photos of him on her phone, and her friends know him. Then he goes into the attic and another one comes down instead of the one who went up. Lauren realizes that her attic is creating an endless supply of husbands.

For Lauren, it’s a chance to reset her life whenever she doesn’t like it or she doesn’t like the man she’s with. But when it’s so easy to change who you are with, then how do you know if the one you are with is the best for you? How long should you keep trying to find the ‘perfect’ one?  Lauren ends up sending one ‘husband’ after another to the attic when she can’t stand something about them and sometimes they are issues as small as innuendo filled jokes or that he’s overly effusive. 

It’s been less than two weeks since I got the book and just a few days since I finished it but I’ve already recommended it to all of my friends and even given the book to a few. It makes you forget your worries for a little while because it’s just so funny and interesting. However, it’s not just fun and games either. It makes you think about your own life and the choices you have made along the way that have led you to where you are. Would you erase something or someone from your life if you could have a chance to lead a brand new one? The Husbands might have been a book I had a good time reading and a book I used as an excuse to poke fun at my husband but it made me realize that sometimes the best life is the one you are living. 

Fiction

The Husbands

Holly Gramazio

Published: 2024

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK

Pages: 353, Paperback