The Wife Upstairs
The Wife Upstairs is a 2021 gothic fiction novel by Rachel Hawkins. Readers will find themes of widowers, family life, gated communities and dog walking.
Open Library readers give it an average of 3.2 out of 5 from 12 ratings, and 71 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 9 editions. It appeared on the New York Times Combined Print And E-Book Fiction bestseller list in 2021.
It runs to roughly 320 pages — 5–6 hours of reading at an average pace.
About The Wife Upstairs
"A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, Rachel Hawkins' The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda. Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates--a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name. But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates' most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can't help but see an opportunity in Eddie--not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she's always yearned for. Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie's heart before her past--or his--catches up to her? With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won't stay buried.
Awards & lists
- 📰New York Times bestseller list — Combined Print And E-Book Fiction, 2021
Quick answers
Who wrote The Wife Upstairs?
The Wife Upstairs was written by Rachel Hawkins and first published in 2021.
What genre is The Wife Upstairs?
It is usually shelved as Gothic Fiction.
How long is The Wife Upstairs?
The median edition has 320 pages, about 5–6 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.
What books are similar to The Wife Upstairs?
Readers who like it often enjoy Airs Above the Ground, Julia and Mexican Gothic.
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