2010. Carrie and Johan, madly in love, marry on the beach in Thailand, five months into their whirlwind romance. Carrie, a British surgical intern, knows she’s being uncharacteristically impulsive but is too happy to care. But as the wedding festivities stretch into the night, armed men swarm the beach and arrest Johan for crimes unknown. In police custody, Johan refuses to see or speak to Carrie. She never sees him again.
2022. Carrie is settled in the English countryside with her husband, Robin, and their six-year-old twins. After a difficult entry into motherhood, Carrie has given up her career as a physician and has convinced herself that life as a mother and wife is enough. Until she stumbles across an online post that makes her realize Johan is out of prison—has been out for years. As the memories of their intense, passionate relationship return to her, she becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about what happened on that beach all those years ago—even if that means putting her marriage and family in jeopardy.
And just when Carrie thinks she knows what she must do, a shocking twist confirms the truth found in every Rosie Walsh Everyone has something to hide. The One Day You Were My Husband asks listeners what—and whom—they would give up to return to a first love, and to the people they once were. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)
One of the aspects I loved most about The One Day You Were My Husband is how caught up the reader gets in Carrie’s perplexities. I felt just as blindsided by Johan’s arrest, and felt just in the dark as to why it even happened. Carrie can’t believe the stories and knows deep in her core that he is truly innocent, but when Johan cuts off all ties with her, she’s forced to move past the man who is her first love and continue on in life.
When Carrie discovers Johan is free and has also moved on with his own life, I trusted in her pain and introspection. It changes everything. There is a lot of struggle in trying to decide what is best for herself, and what is best for her family. Over chapters we get to see what really happened with Johan, why he made the choices he did, and the ultimate truth behind a time in Carrie’s life when she thought she knew where she stood. I fully supported her decisions and could understand why she had to gain more clarity on the most difficult time in her life. I think it would have driven her mad otherwise.
There is a major twist that I did not see coming! The points of view from Carrie, with the past bleeding into the present, really set the tone and set up the twist so effortlessly, my mouth literally dropped open. The biggest question becomes: Where does Carrie go from there? And really, I had no clue what she would do. It is such a difficult situation and there is no easy answer for her going forward. The twist created such a fast-paced thrilling moment into obscurity.
Ultimately, I really liked what she decided to do in the aftermath. Some of it was expected, but I can’t see it ending any other way than how it did, and it felt right. The One Day You Were My Husband could be a miniseries or made-for-TV movie, and if that ever really happens I am there for it. It was a five-star experience!
Thanks to Viking for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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