The Divorce: a book review

Naomi Roth thought she had a good marriage. A comfortable home. A husband. A young son. A life that seemed secure.

Then Jeremy tells her he wants a divorce.

And he doesn’t make it easy.

He locks Naomi out of their home, cuts off her access to money, and hires an expensive divorce attorney. Worse, he’s already moved on with Veronica, a younger woman who seems to have everything Naomi is losing.

But Naomi isn’t ready to let go.

Instead of walking away, she becomes increasingly consumed by Jeremy’s new relationship. She wants answers. She wants her family back. And she makes some spectacularly bad decisions along the way.

Naomi is frustrating. There’s really no other way to describe her. She’s emotional, impulsive, and determined to make an already terrible situation worse. You can see the consequences coming long before she does.

And that’s what makes the story work.

Jeremy isn’t particularly sympathetic either. His treatment of Naomi makes it easy to understand her anger, even when her response is difficult to defend. Then there’s Veronica. The younger girlfriend. The woman Naomi believes has taken her place.

But with McFadden, appearances rarely tell the whole story.

One thing I appreciated was the small cast. There aren’t dozens of characters or complicated subplots to keep track of. The story stays focused on Naomi, Jeremy, and Veronica. Their relationships are messy enough without adding anyone else.

And messy is exactly what this book delivers.

Unlike some of McFadden’s other novels, The Divorce doesn’t feel like a traditional psychological thriller. It’s more domestic drama with suspense woven throughout. There’s murder, of course, but it isn’t really what drives the story.

The marriage does. Or rather, what’s left of it.

My Takeaway

I enjoyed The Divorce, but it wasn’t quite what I expected.

I went in anticipating a psychological thriller. What I got was a story about a marriage falling apart, a woman making terrible decisions, and the consequences that follow.

And surprisingly, that was enough to keep me interested.

I’ve seen quite a few readers criticize Naomi for her behavior. They question her decisions, her judgment, and her inability to recognize when she’s making things worse.

They’re not wrong.

But I think they’re missing something.

If Naomi made sensible decisions, there wouldn’t be much of a story. She’d hire an attorney, establish boundaries, and move on with her life. End of book.

Instead, she lets her emotions dictate her actions. She makes mistakes. Then she makes more mistakes trying to fix the first ones.

Is it frustrating? Absolutely.

Is it entertaining? Also yes.

That doesn’t mean every decision feels believable. There are moments when McFadden pushes Naomi’s behavior a little too far. But flawed characters don’t bother me. Sometimes the worst decisions make for the most interesting fiction.

The pacing is steady rather than relentless. The suspense comes from watching relationships deteriorate and wondering just how far things will go. It’s an easy story to follow, partly because McFadden keeps the cast small and the narrative focused.

And then there’s the ending.

I won’t spoil anything, but McFadden has a way of making me question what I thought I understood. Even when I think I know where she’s going, she usually manages to surprise me.

The Divorce isn’t my favorite McFadden novel. It doesn’t have the same psychological intensity as some of her stronger thrillers. But I still enjoyed it.

Sometimes I don’t need an elaborate mystery or nonstop twists.

Sometimes a dysfunctional marriage, a questionable girlfriend, and a protagonist who can’t get out of her own way are more than enough.

Thematically, The Divorce examines the fragility of marriage, the consequences of betrayal, and the complicated intersection of emotion and rational judgment. And, once again, McFadden managed to surprise me, even if the journey was not quite what I expected.

Who Is This Book For?

If you enjoy domestic suspense, complicated relationships, and characters who make you want to reach into the book and shake some sense into them, The Divorce might be for you.

This isn’t a fast-paced murder mystery. It’s a story about betrayal, obsession, and the chaos that follows when emotions take over.

The small cast makes it easy to follow, and the relationship drama keeps things moving.

That said, if you need your protagonists to make rational decisions, Naomi will probably drive you crazy.

But if you can accept that people sometimes make terrible choices—especially when their lives are falling apart—you might find yourself enjoying the chaos.

And if you’re familiar with Freida McFadden, you already know one thing.

There’s probably more going on than you think.