THE WIFE OF MARTIN GUERRE by Janet Lewis

Other than my favourite book of all time (I Am The Cheese) and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, I remember very little about the books I studied at school. And, frankly, I only remember Caesar because my mate got kicked out of class for suggesting Portia propositioned Brutus for oral to prevent the murder. On reflection, he was right. I do, however, remember hating The Wife of Martin Guerre. Thirty-something years on I thought I’d give it another go.

Turns out, I was wrong. The Wife of Martin Guerre is awesome. The story of a man who runs away from his young wife and newborn son, throws himself into the fog of war for eight years, and returns is high historical soap opera joy. You see, Martin might not be Martin. He might be an imposter. A scoundrel. And you know how the wife knows? Because this Martin is nice. And caring. Everything her husband was not. She has him arrested. Things get out hand and he is sentenced to death. It’s a great, twisty tale (with one of the greatest literary scoundrels of all time) that will have you questioning your partner, your relationship and what it means to forgive.

The Wife of Martin Guerre by Janet Lewis
Penguin, 2004 (First pub. 1941)
93 pages