Jill Is Not Happy

Rouda (What the Nanny Saw) spins a dark, deliberately paced tale of matrimonial hell. Jill Tingley maintains that she and her husband, Jack, have a perfect relationship. College sweethearts, the couple have been married for more than two decades, during which Jack served for a few years as mayor of their affluent town in Southern California. The truth, however, is much more sinister: Jack fears his wife, their marriage is held together by dangerous shared secrets, and neither is fully able to trust the other. When Jill starts to suspect Jack is slipping away from her, she insists they take a road trip to Utah to rekindle their romance. Rouda toggles between the perspectives of Jack and Jill, gradually filling in their pitch-black backstory as their excursion, in the present, grows increasingly tense. For a while, the plot’s unanswered questions and Gone Girl–style marital insights hold the reader’s interest, but eventually, all the unmitigated cruelty grows exhausting. There are some sick thrills to be had, but this adds up to less than the sum of its parts. Agent: Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency. (June)