The Second Husband (by Louise Candlish)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m glad I decided to re-read my collection of Louise Candlish novels, over the past couple of years, at a rate of about one every couple of months. Her earlier novels weren’t as dark or tense as her more recent ones, and on the whole I like them better. I’ve just finished ‘The Second Husband’, which I first read in 2016; naturally, I had entirely forgotten the storyline. 

The front cover gives a hint of what the novel is about, but I suspect I might have guessed anyway although the denouement doesn’t come until around half-way through. The main protagonist is a thirty-nine year old divorced woman called Kate. She works for a charity, and has two children: Roxy who is 17, and Matt who is 9. Her estranged husband Alastair is married to someone called Victoria and she hasn’t entirely forgiven him although they try to be fairly amicable for the sake of the children.

Kate is struggling for money, although Alastair gives generous child support, so he suggests she take in a lodger. After initial reluctance, she and the children manage to divide her top-floor flat so as to give a small one-bedroomed apartment next door. We see her hesitating about which of the possible tenants to choose; eventually she decides on Davis, a rather personal man in his early forties, who is a private teacher and coach. He seems ideal: he’s friendly, charming to everyone, and pays his rent on time.

Most of Kate’s stress is caused by Roxy, who hangs out with a girl called Marianne, barely wanting to speak to her mother. Roxy has suddenly adopted revealing clothes, heavy make-up, and an eye-rolling attitude, reminding her mother that at 17 there are many things she can do, without necessarily needing permission. Kate finds it hard, seeing her beautiful, affectionate little girl turn into a moody teenager, and tries perhaps too hard to find out what’s going on in her life.

Davis gradually becomes friendly with Kate, and gets along very well with both Roxy and Matt. He starts coaching Roxy in French, and is regularly invited to dinner. It’s all quite platonic, until Kate realises that she’s starting to fall for him…

The writing is excellent, the characterisation entirely believable, and I quite liked Kate. I think my favourite character is Matt; he’s uncomplicated and trusting, and many of the events of the book go right over his head. I liked Kate’s sister Tash, too; she’s disorganised and Kate thinks of her as little more than a teenager, but although they’re very different, Tash is very fond of the family. 

In the second half of the book, after Kate has made a shocking discovery - and while I’d guessed what it might be, I had entirely forgotten how she found out, and what the consequence would be - the pace gets a bit faster. The action moves outside the small community atmosphere in London, and I found myself liking Kate even more, as she berates herself, and second-guesses many decisions. Yet she keeps going; her love for her family and determination to care for them feels real, and while I was never moved to tears, I found some of the writing quite tense, even if not along the ‘thriller’ lines of some of the author’s later books. 

I thought the situation was very well-handled; at times the style reminded me of the novels by Libby Purves, as quite difficult issues are covered sensitively. The storyline could have been sordid but was somehow lifted out of that. There are some thought-provoking discussions related to how adults perceive teens, and vice versa; and how far parents can go in protecting their children, even if almost adults, from the choices they make. 

Recommended if you like this author’s work, or similar hard-hitting women’s fiction. Although if you prefer Louise Candlish’s more recent thrillers, this might seem a bit tame by comparison. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews