The Husbands: A Novel

Nora and Hayden drive to the Dynasty Ranch dinner party. In attendance are Thea and her husband, Roman, a lawyer; Cornelia and Asher, a dentist; Alexis and Max, a civil engineer; and Penny. Nora asks Roman about any acquaintances they may share from law school, but neither has time for keeping up those relationships. Roman describes his weekly schedule: everything from meal prepping to driving children to appointments. Asher collects the dirty plates. Hayden mentions how much more men do now than their fathers did, but Max simply praises Alexis for working “so hard.” Asher and Roman recommend home organization websites to Hayden, and the men discuss recipes for stain removers. Roman asks Penny about hers, but she says that she and Richard just used “Shout pens” and excuses herself to get some air. Thea talks about her work at the neurology center, how they are trying to find a way to make permanent—via brain surgery—the neural pathways that psychiatric therapy creates in patients. Cornelia praises Thea, calling herself a “proud mama bear,” and Alexis agrees, implying that Cornelia mothers them all (95). Nora excuses herself to check on Penny.

Penny tells her about Richard’s preoccupation with the house before his death, how he messed with appliances, dug up the floor, became obsessed with some sound he heard. Nora plans to search for any paper trail to see if it explains the fire. Hayden was drinking, so Nora drives home. He found the women interesting but disliked the men, suggesting that they “need to grow a pair of balls” (100) and Nora calls out his misogyny. Driving away, Nora nearly hits a teenage girl. At first, the girl freezes in the headlights, but when Nora asks if she needs help, she gives Nora the finger and runs off.

The chapter is followed by a summary and link to a journal article on social media. The article suggests that mothers are having more mental health crises due to a lack of time alone. Several female commenters support the claims.

Nora sends Andi pictures of the house in Dynasty Ranch, asking her to put in a good word with Hayden. At work, Nora talks to customer service at an appliance company about the seven calls Richard March made, citing a “clicking noise” in the kitchen. Two technicians went out, and neither heard it. The company offered to replace the stove, washer, and fridge for free, but by the time they called to arrange delivery, he was already dead. The final agent Richard spoke with wrote, “Customer says he is being driven insane” (109).

Gary tells Nora she’ll have to stay late tonight, but she needs to pick up Liv. Gary suggests Nora call her husband or babysitter to stay late, but the sitter has a night class and Hayden is out with colleagues and clients. He tells her to “Text [him] how it goes” (111) leaving her to figure it out. Nora’s friend and colleague, Cameron Drummer, asks her what’s wrong, and he volunteers to take Nora’s share of the work because his ex-wife has their daughter this week. She gratefully accepts his offer and realizes, later, that she enjoyed being rescued. She knows that’s not very feminist of her, but she’s too overwhelmed to care.

Nora is bothered by Richard March’s assertion that he was being “driven insane,” and she decides to investigate his medical history. That evening, Nora goes to Alexis’s house to pick up the community plans. Alexis hollers, inviting Nora to let herself in, and Nora follows a hallway, spotting the teen she nearly hit bathing a baby. The girl smiles and says that Alexis is down the hall. Cornelia is there too, and she tells Nora that the teen is her daughter, Francine. Nora asks if Francine was babysitting Alexis’s kids on the night of the fire, and Cornelia confirms, though she says Francine fell asleep on the couch and saw nothing. As Nora prepares to leave, a woman named Lucy arrives, a bruise appearing on her cheekbone. Cornelia asks if Lucy did something to “trigger” Ed, and Nora is shocked by the question. Lucy asks if this is “normal,” and Cornelia promises, “This is not what happens […]. Things will get better” (123). Cornelia tells Alexis to call Thea, in case they need her, and she guides Lucy out. Nora notes how she’d appreciate friends like this too.

Nora sees Roman walking a dog, and she asks about Richard. Roman claims he didn’t spend much time with Richard because Roman prioritizes family, and Richard didn’t share that priority. When she asks about the other husbands, Roman apologizes, saying he’s got dinner in the oven, but when they say goodbye, he doesn’t turn toward home. Nora reminds herself to “Assume nothing,” especially that everyone is telling the truth.

Nora finds a medical bill from Thea’s office for “neurology services” dated just a couple months before Richard’s death. She goes to Thea’s office and sees a helmet-like device that Thea calls a brain-machine interface, used to create neural pathways. She meets Trevor, a young doctor with whom Thea works. Like Cornelia’s office, Thea’s is wallpapered in accolades. Thea tells Nora that Richard was considering participating in a study. While he was there, she prescribed a common migraine medicine for him.

It’s Saturday, and Nora’s at work. She blames a lack of paternity leave for the state of modern motherhood. Many companies offer maternity leave, which enables a new mother to stay home and focus on her baby. The world goes on without her, including her husband’s professional life, and she only realizes later that she’s expected to catch up and continue to do all the things she did on leave. Hayden keeps texting about Liv, and she doesn’t know what he expects her to do. Hayden sends Nora a video of Liv throwing a tantrum and calls a moment later, completely frustrated. Tantrums are normal, and Nora believes Hayden should be able to manage it. Once she hangs up, Cameron explains his “lazy traveler” theory. While Nora has her “hands on the steering wheel” (139), Hayden can be a passenger along for the ride. If she were unavailable, Hayden would figure it out. Cameron advises Nora not to go home and bail Hayden out.

Hayden texts again, frustrated that Nora went to the office on the day of the gender reveal party. He is trying to get the house ready and needs to go to the store, and she is amazed by his inability to watch Liv and do anything else at the same time. Cameron admits that, when he was married, he was a lazy traveler, though he’s since learned to take care of his daughter. When Nora gets home, Hayden mentions that Andi talked up the house in Dynasty Ranch, fully aware that Nora put her up to it.

Nora’s in-laws, Mary and Joseph, come bearing the cake whose interior color will reveal their baby’s sex. Mary is surprised Nora hasn’t told work about the pregnancy because Hayden was “too excited” to keep it secret. Nora says that no one will think Hayden can’t do his job because she’s pregnant. After several minutes of answering the door and serving drinks, Nora realizes Hayden is nowhere to be seen. Alexis and Cornelia arrive, and Nora spots Hayden leaning on the counter, chatting with his mom. Mary is talking about how dads are so much more involved and “hands-on” than they used to be. Mary offers to come over and help more, and Hayden gratefully accepts. Nora escapes to the laundry room, and he follows. Nora explains that so much of what she does is “invisible” to him, and she feels like she’s “drowning.” Hayden is tired of Nora acting like he’s so terrible, and he reminds her that he’s not going to bars or cheating on her. Nora is appalled that he thinks he deserves extra credit for this. Hayden suggests that making partner may not be worth it, accusing Nora of ignoring the doctor. Nora gets so angry that she smashes her fist into the cake. Just then, Alexis opens the door and takes in the scene. Hayden stalks out, acknowledging that they’re having a boy.

Cornelia and Alexis ask Nora what happened, and Cornelia diagnoses a “classic case of wife rage” (149). Cornelia asks Nora if she wants to leave Hayden, but Nora doesn’t; she loves him. Cornelia suggests couples’ therapy, and Alexis reassures Nora that Cornelia is a “genius” who helps many neighborhood couples. Nora begins to feel hopeful, and Alexis smears a handful of cake across her chest, apologizing for “dropping” it.

The chapter is followed by a sales post on NextDoor. One mother is selling “boys’ books,” and this description ignites an argument. One female commenter asks what the seller means by “boy” books, prompting a male commenter to lament the presence of “Social Justice Warriors” (152). Another woman argues that labeling subjects as being of interest to only boys is damaging because it contributes to a stigma against women’s roles or topics. She suggests that this stigma is unconscious but “baked in[to]” grown men by labels like this.