Have you ever been on a blind date? Well, Lauren has been on hundreds – and she’s married to each of them! In the novel The Husbands by Holly Gramazio, readers are along for the ride as Lauren’s ability to swap her husband via a magic attic reveals more and more about what she’s looking for in a romantic partner, and what she values about the lives they build together. These are preferences that most of us have examined in our own lives, but the infinite options certainly put a wrinkle in things!
Is this unique (to say the least!) situation a blessing or a curse? Let the book club debate begin!
The Husbands will provide material for a lively book club discussion not only about relationships, but also themes of self-identity, loneliness, and societal expectations. Check out our 10 book club questions for The Husbands. for some great conversation starters! This discussion guide for The Husbands also contains the publisher’s synopsis, select reader reviews, and ideas for similar reads! We hope your book club enjoyed this wild ride as much as we did!
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The Husbands Synopsis
(We always chose to provide the publisher synopsis because we feel that it’s worthwhile to discuss whether the official book description actually squared with your experience of the book.)
The Husbands, Holly Gramazio
When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years.
As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?
10 Book Club Questions for The Husbands
These questions have been tailored to this book’s specific reading experience, but if you want more ideas, we also have an article with 101 generic book club questions.
- First thing’s first (and be honest here!) – Does the magic attic sound appealing, or exhausting? Would you give it go? Why or why not?
- Were you particularly fond of or attached to any of Lauren’s husbands? Who would you have chosen for Lauren?
- Lauren suggests to Bohai that he select a wife using ‘the secretary method’, in which you interview a third of the candidates (or in this case, partners), then pick the next person who’s better than the everyone interviewed so far. What do you think of this approach? What strategy would you use to pick from an endless supply of partners?
- “It doesn’t last long, the time when love can gently change who you are, and in the relationships that she’s visited over the last six months, the moment has long passed. She has been presented with the shape of her new husband, and invited to either contort to fit or reject him wholesale.”
Lauren sends some husbands back into the attic almost immediately upon discovery of a particular physical attribute or personality trait. Do you think it was fair of her to assess a partner so quickly? Are there any qualities in a partner that would be an immediate dealbreaker for you personally?
- As each husband descends from the attic, Lauren finds that her home, hobbies, interests, and even physical appearance change in varying degrees. How much of yourself do you think is influenced by a partner? How much should you be willing to adapt to your partner?
- How does this novel serve as an allegory for today’s dating culture? Have you ever used dating apps, and if so, did you find any parallels with Lauren in terms of your experiences or attitudes?
- How do you feel about the lengths Lauren went to in order to get some of the husbands back in the attic? Are her extreme actions justified if no one remembers them?
- “It’s not fair that her lives require their cooperation. That she has to cajole or trick or persuade when she wants them to leave.”
How does The Husbands explore power dynamics and the concept of control over one’s own life? Does Lauren lack control, or have the ultimate level of control over her life when the magic attic springs to life?
- The Husbands explores how one choice can send someone’s life down a completely different path. What are some of the pivotal decision points that have impacted your life trajectory? What do you think is the most different version of yourself that ‘could have been’?
- Do you believe there is one perfect person for everyone? Or can someone be happy with many people?
Selected Reviews for The Husbands
(Use these selected Goodreads reviews to compare with your own experience of the book. Do you agree or disagree with the reviews?)
“I LOVED this book. It’s full of humor and heart, and raises interesting ideas about how much a single relationship can change a person’s entire life. In many of the parallel realities, Lauren has a different job, look, or friend group. Readers will find themselves wondering which of Lauren’s many husbands they themselves would settle down with…and which ones they would send back to the attic!”
“This is a perfect example of magical realism in a book. I adored the premise that you can just replace a husband anytime you so desire. This started out so strong; I was hooked immediately. I understand some of the criticism I’ve heard from other readers about the book getting a little redundant in the middle, but I just really didn’t feel that kind of way. I think it was deliberate, much like the mundanity of marriage and everyday life. I was intrigued with every new husband, regardless of how long they stayed. I loved the friendship story in the last third of the book, so much. I couldn’t put it down.”
“This book basically repeats itself over and over and over again and it’s really hard to find the point… For me, it was missing a “twist” or major plot event besides the changing husbands. I’m also very, very picky with magical realism, so if we don’t even get one sentence explaining how the “magic” is possible/happens, then it kind of loses me. Sadly, we never really got that clarification here so it was too much in the gray for me. I think most readers will feel a little bit unsatisfied at the end, and will be left wanting a bit more and wondering the overall point.”
More Book Club Ideas
The following links go to a reading guide for that particular book. There’s a non-spoiler synopsis on the top of the article with a link to Amazon if you want to check pricing or reviews.
The Husbands was featured by the Read with Jenna book club. If you like her pics, I have an article featuring ALL of Jenna’s book suggestions, with rankings and synopsis.
The Midnight Library offers a similar sort of “try, try again” version of the protagonist’s life, although with a somewhat more serious tone as a woman (aided by a mystical librarian) tries a series of do-overs after a suicide attempt.
Someone Else’s Shoes features Nisha and Sam, each of whom are dealing with life struggles. When Sam accidentally grabs Nisha’s gym bag (and the hot Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes inside), life takes both of them in a new direction.
