I have so much respect for anyone who chooses to build on the formidable legacy left by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. More than any other novel I’ve read, Gatsby is, to me, a living text. I’ve read it over twenty times and taught it almost as many, and with every reread or discussion, I find more truth hidden in the magic of its words.

The one thing I’ve always wished for more of in my exploration of Gatsby is details about the Wilsons. Despite their geographical proximity, George and Myrtle’s lives are so wildly different than the other characters’. They both want more and deserve more, but because of their lack of status, their dreams don’t count. When Myrtle decides to defy the odds, she becomes an object of ridicule. But it’s hard to get angry at her when her only choices are bad choices. So when I saw that Allyson Reedy was determined to fill in some of the blanks to tell Myrtle’s story, I couldn’t wait to read it.

Mrs. Wilson’s Affair gets a lot right. I enjoyed the exploration of love, or what we think is love, and how the highs and lows of everyday life can impact it. I appreciated the way Reedy was able to address the impossible situations so many women were caught in simply because they were born women. I loved the way she weaved in a thoughtful discussion about creation, one that made me look at George’s profession and character in a whole new way. And finally, I was glad to see that she recognized the many different power dynamics at play in the characters’ lives.

What didn’t work for me was the narrator, mostly because it felt a lot more like the author trying to break the fourth wall. It was almost as if an English teacher would pipe in at critical moments just to make sure the student-readers had formed the right conclusions. Not only did these discursive passages about the nature of humanity always seem to appear at the wrong time, but they also took away from all the good work the story had done. Reedy would have done better to trust that her characters were capable of showing readers what these passages felt the need to tell them.

In terms of style, I often felt like Reedy was trying too hard to sound like Fitzgerald. While I get wanting the stories to ‘feel’ similar, forcing it just makes the differences shine through even more. That said, I haven’t read enough of Reedy to comment on whether or not her voice here resembles her voice in her other novels, so this criticism may not be valid.



Thanks to Netgalley and Union Square for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Now I will admit I have never read the Great Gatsby so I can't really express my opinions on the characters or even their actions so I am just going to keep this review on the light side of things. I will admit I enjoyed reading the story because the author did a very good job of telling the story and who knows maybe I will read the Great Gatsby in the near future.
The plot of this story focuses on Myrtle Wilson who is unhappy with her life and her marriage. One day while on the subway she meets the wealthy Tom Buchanan and from there a passionate affair arises. However, situation like these don't always have a happy ending.
Overall this was a interesting read and I am glad that I took the time to read it.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.