Publication date: May 25, 2021
Genres: Adult Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary
Format: eARC
Source: Berkley and Netgalley
3 Stars
Anders Caldwell’s career is not going well. A young ambitious journalist, he’d rather hoped he’d be a national award-winning podcaster by now, rather than writing fluff pieces for a small town newspaper. But when he gets an assignment to travel to the remote Frick Island and cover their boring annual Cake Walk fundraiser, he stumbles upon a much more fascinating tale: an entire town pretending to see and interact with a man who does not actually exist. Determined it’s the career-making story he’s been needing for his podcast, Anders returns to the island to begin covert research and spend more time with the enigmatic Piper—but he has no idea out of all the lives he’s about to upend, it’s his that will change the most.
The unique title and the oh-so-intriguing synopsis had me excited to try this latest release from Colleen Oakley. A remote island setting, a young widow who carries on as if her husband is still by her side, and a village of people who play right along? Yes please! Unfortunately, The Invisible Husband didn't deliver quite the story I wanted or expected.
Before starting the book (and not being familiar with Oakley's work), I thought this might be a whimsical tale with quirky characters. Or, on the flipside, a solemn story of loss and the rippling effects of grief. What I got was a little of both but not enough of either to make much of an impact.
Anders is an ambitious reporter working for a small newspaper. When he's sent to Frick Island to cover an annual fundraising event, he discovers the whole town (all 94 residents) pretending that Tom Parrish, a fisherman who died in an accident several months previously, is alive and well. Determined to discover why they would take part in such a charade, Anders returns to Frick Island each weekend, stays at the lone bed and breakfast, and tries to understand the people who live on the tiny island.
There was no lack of quirky characters on Frick Island: from BobDan who ran the ferry, to Lady Judy who was so secretive about the packages she carried to and from her home, to Piper Parrish, the young woman who apparently still considered her deceased husband very much alive and well. Unfortunately, the slow pace kept me from fully engaging with the story or the characters and it took me a solid week to make my way through the 368 pages. Anders' trips to the island began to feel repetitive and the snippets of information he gathered felt too small and too infrequent for the story to gain any real momentum.
Despite my issues with the pace of the story, I was interested in the character's motivations, and the slight mystery aspect and the few red herrings had me curious and wanting to see the outcome. I have no doubt that The Invisible Husband of Frick Island will find its audience and I do believe this is a case of it's not you, it's me. It's likely my expectations kept me from fully appreciating what this one had to offer.
