mood music: Me and My Husband – mitksi
At a cool 94 pages, Helpmeet was a quick read. Still, in even such a short novella it packs a punch with detailed descriptions of body disfigurement and decay as we follow the complex marriage of a couple living in 1900s New York City.
We are introduced to Louise Wilk, a former nurse, as she is packing up the final items of her home in preparation for her move to her husband’s childhood home in Buffalo, New York. The husband, Dr. Edward Wilk, was a charming philanderer and is now very, very ill. I won’t go into detail about the illness, as it will spoil the plot, but Louise is the primary caregiver as Edward deteriorates. His affliction appears to be terminal. They can no longer afford their home in the city as both cannot work, so their move to Buffalo serves as a means to offer privacy and solace. Unbeknownst to Louise or Edward, this trip to Buffalo will change the trajectory of their lives for the foreseeable future.
I was unfamiliar with the author, Naben Ruthnum until I came across a book recommendation video on TikTok. Ruthnum was able to weave a story of a complicated marriage ravaged by an untreatable affliction. I was left thinking about the novella’s ending for days after I finished reading it.
