An Inconvenient Wife
By Megan Chance

      Imagine yourself, a woman, back in the 1800's where most of the time you were forced to marry someone and follow their demands. You cannot follow your dreams and use your creative spirit. This is what happens to Lucy Carleton. She's married to William, who married into her family for class and money. Lucy develops what was known as hysteria and could not conceive a child for her husband. Throughout many different treatments, she is introduced to Dr. Victor Seth, who introduces a new treatment, hypnosis. Will Lucy be healed and what will happen with her husband when she starts healing? Will Lucy have to make a new life for herself? Will William or Dr. Seth be a part of it? An Inconvenient Wife takes a mixture of genres and adds them together in a thoroughly enjoyable read. The characterization of Lucy allows the reader to feel for Lucy and her life and hope that Lucy is able to recover. Ms. Chance does an outstanding job of nailing the beliefs of hysteria and other psychological ailments of the 1800's and treats them accordingly. It is hard to believe that there once were beliefs like the close-minded ones about hysteria, and the treatments that women went through to overcome it.