Sarah is a young lawyer, single and lonely, meets and falls in love with Daniel, a fellow lawyer with a big family that Sarah feels drawn to. He takes her to a synagogue and they both feel that their lives are enriched in this community. After they marry, they move with other followers to an isolated community where the religious leaders become more repressive. Sarah’s marriage becomes strained when she begins questioning rules and restrictions, and she suspects that Daniel is more involved in some of the darker aspects of the group’s leaders. She doesn’t know where to turn for the truth.

Her veil, thick as a curtain, is clipped in place.

“The Covered Wife” by Lisa Emanuel

• Glanceabook: “A sense of unease pervades this story as the religious community develops cult-like practices. The author involves the reader in Sarah’s thoughts and feelings, so that we get some understanding of how Sarah has been drawn to this way of life. The tension builds as unexpected plot twists reveal the dark side, and the reader is on tenterhooks, willing Sarah to get away. This is a page-turning psychological thriller.”
• Better Reading: “The Covered Wife races to its finale, with unexpectedly dark twists and turns. Don’t expect everything to be tied up in a neat bow – this story is filled with intrigue and secrets that will leave you thinking about its characters long after you’ve finished the book.”
• NZ Booklovers: “I confess I found this a slow read to begin with, and I almost stopped reading partway through. But I carried on and was rewarded with a story that was increasingly intense and claustrophobic.… The Covered Wife is an unsettling, thought-provoking novel that examines the lengths that some people will go to please others and to belong.“

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