Sleeping With the Enemy

I saw the movie years ago. The book is better. One part of the movie annoyed me - stupid frustrating act of the mother. In the movie Martin visits the mother in a nursing home pretending to be a cop. He tells her that he needs to contact Sara to warn her about something with Martin. The mother stupidly tells him where Sara is. The book is different and better on this part. Sara does smart things. But Martin also does smart things to find her.This book does not have much suspense until the end. But I liked it the way it was. If you want suspense and terror, read Stephen King's Rose Madder which I loved.I did not like what happened with Martin at the end. It was too convenient. I wish the author did something different to achieve the same end. But the ending was happy.At times I felt like the author's mind was wandering. A character is thinking about the environment, the smells, the sights, the feelings. Some of that was good, but some could have been cut. Some of Martin's thoughts were too repetitive.I love the plot of Sara taking action to change her situation. I was surprised that she nearly starved while waiting for her first paycheck. Weren't there any food pantries or shelters? Was there a reason she avoided them?I liked that Sara initially loved Martin, but after they married he changed. That happened to me twice.Something I enjoyed, but it had very little to do with the plot were conversations about literature with happy vs unhappy endings. A couple of those follow. "Fellini says he never wants to make a film with a happy ending, because then people will go home and never change their lives. On a subconscious level, happy endings fool us. We think our lives will turn out nicely without our help, like the movie." Mrs. Eaker said. "I like easy books - escape in them, you know? Murder mysteries. Historical romances." "Do you really escape into them?" Sara asked. "Or are you just watching the characters do this or that, but when you're through the world hasn't changed at all for you?"Me, I'm like Mrs. Eaker, I want happy endings. I wonder how many other readers make changes in their lives or the world after every book with an unhappy ending?DATA:Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 322 pages. Swearing language: moderate including religious swear words, but rarely used. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 3. Setting: current day New York, Massachusetts, Iowa, and Nebraska. Copyright: 1987. Genre: relationship fiction with a little romance.

I love this book so much I have twice tracked down used copies of it after losing a copy. If I lose this copy, I'll be looking to replace it again. It has a permanent place on my bookshelf. I reread it about once a year. This is not a novelization, for anyone who might be wondering. This is an original novel that inspired the screenplay that most people are more familiar with.It's hard to explain the appeal of this book, since the subject is so difficult to read about, but I'll try. I think it has to do with the supportive female relationships depicted in the book. If you've seen the movie, you already know the action that sets the plot in motion, but you've only seen a little of the web of relationships the heroine develops in the book.The plot is exciting, and again, anyone who has seen the movie that was based on this book (or a half a dozen movie knock-offs) is already familiar with it: a woman is so determined to break free of her abusive, controlling husband that she fakes her own death in order to escape. And again, the falling action begins after the husband discovers that she might really be alive.It's what happens in between that makes this book a keeper for me. If you've seen the movie, you've seen that the heroine develops a cautious but sweet relationship with Ben, her drama teacher neighbor in her new town. That happens in the book, too. You've also seen that the heroine has a beautiful relationship with her mother. That is also in the book, but there is so much more. Remember the African violets Julia Roberts lovingly sets on a windowsill during the housecleaning montage? Those have a great deal of significance in the book, and they are directly related to the heroine's relationship with her mother. There are a number of beautifully written relationships in this novel, some of them offered as vignettes featuring side characters who don't appear in the film, and some directly related to the heroine (I will keep using that term because the book and movie switch her real name/alias and I want to avoid confusion). As the heroine rediscovers who she is, she also rediscovers how to make connections to the other people around her, especially the women she encounters. The theme of reclaiming the self that is so integral to the film is present here as well, but there is a strong undercurrent of reclaiming the self-in-community in the book, and it's not easy for her. She has to overcome barriers that she has built up to protect herself. It's a wonderful read.The suspense aspect is back as well, when Martin, the husband, begins trying to track the heroine down. I won't spoil the ending because there is a slight difference between the book and the movie. It's enough of a difference to avoid spoiling it, but I will say this: I preferred the movie's ending on my first read, but on subsequent reads, I realized the author was trying to make a specific point with her staging of the denouement. It's not a downer ending, don't get me wrong, but it does create a different impression, of the heroine, of Martin, and of everything that has led up to that point.Well, enough of my blathering. This book is out of print but there are still a number of used copies in circulation and they are currently not expensive to get hold of. Take advantage of that while you can and get yourself a copy!

Arrived in time and in the condition it was described as. Only issue was that there was a barcode sticker smack dab on the front cover that I had to peel off and use rubbing alcohol to get rid of the sticky part. This was a gift so I needed to remove it.

I have written a book about a control freek and wanted to read this book again

Love the book ..different from the movie it was fun to read the actual telling of the story it was like new twists and turns

The book came in good condition. I can't wait to read it.

I personally think the film is much more thrilling but I always say read the book first before watching the film. The novel is a real edge of seat story and would recommend it to anyone who loves thrillers.