The Reluctant Trophy Wife

The Reluctant Trophy Wife is a tale about a decent, but mismatched couple. Clyde is rational and controlling; his much younger glamorous wife is romantic and consenting. A crime is committed in their summer home, and although not involved, Clyde fears that a possible scandal would damage his career. To prevent the news media from approaching her for information and perhaps fabricate a lurid story, he sends Lena away on a long vacation to Europe. In her "exile" she meets two very different personalities: a Protestant woman past middle age and a Catholic priest. Through their influence as well as through the experiences she encounters, Lena changes. She emerges from the role of a passive ornamental wife with ambigious ideas and beliefs into a selfconfident and independent woman. The novel starts out deceptively in the light genre of women's romance. almost a chick-lit. But soon it moves deeper and dares to touch problems that are not often discussed. The story has humor, warmth; it is a tale of friendship, but it also attempts to find answers to the most personal questions asked at times when a crossroad is encountered.