The Husbands: A Novel

The narrator asks the reader to picture the many different kinds of husbands, with a wide variety of physical attributes, personality types, and professions. Next, the narrator tells the reader to breathe deeply, to feel sleepy, and imagine a place where husbands don’t simply put their dishes in the sink but, rather, arrange them in the dishwasher, do the laundry, prepare meals, and keep track of the family calendar.

Nora and Hayden Spangler are on their way to look at a house in Dynasty Ranch, a development outside of Austin, Texas. Nora broods while Hayden drives, oblivious to her mood. He always tells her things will get done, “But the part he leaves out is that he’ll have nothing to do with the doing” (5). Nora feels like the family Rumpelstiltskin, taking care of the house and family as if by magic.

They arrive at 2913 Majestic Grove, and, despite the ruins of one burned-out house, the street looks like the American Dream. Their current home is too small, with their four-year-old daughter, Liv, and a baby on the way, and some features they initially found charming—like the switchback stairs—now seem dangerous, especially after “the accident.