A Beautiful Young Wife
by Tommy Wieringa
Nomination: Dublin Longlist 2018
Date Read: May 5, 2022
Edward has managed to get to mid-life without really falling in love and starting a family. He is quite successful and recognizable in his career, but his personal life has never been his priority. That is until one day when he sees a girl on a bicycle and his entire life changes. He is instantly smitten, becomes obsessed with her and thanks his lucky stars when he runs into her again at a café.
Edward knows that he is considerably older than Ruth, which could present a problem. But the age gap never becomes a serious issue, except in the back of Edward’s mind. In the company of Ruth and her friends, he realizes that she hasn’t exactly made him younger, rather, he has made her older. He feels somewhat guilty for this.
As with all love that proceeds into marriage, the inevitable discussion of starting a family comes up and they realize in tandem that the answer is yes. They want to create a human together. Falling pregnant becomes a challenge when they learn that Edward has a low sperm count. Actually the fertility doctor said that only about 30% of his sperm come out alive. So they tediously time their sex life around ovulation, turning love-making into a chore. As the years tick by, Edward hopes his sexual function stays with him long enough for Ruth to become pregnant.
Finally, life is created and all seems well. Edward, however, becomes obsessed with a co-worker and embarks on an ill-advised affair. Although Ruth never finds out, the stain of this affair will be the hair that breaks the camel’s back of his career.
Baby Morris is born a colicky baby who never stops crying. Even with all their good intentions, effort and doctor support, nothing seems to soothe him. Ruth begins to believe that Morris is particularly cranky around Edward and she relegates him to the spare bedroom. The fact that she would even think this and abide Edward’s leaving showed me, the reader, their relationship wasn’t all that solid to begin with. A truly committed partner would want to work through any problems. The undoing of their relationship is more due to the arrival of Morris rather than their age discrepancy.
Wieringa also uses this novella to delve into animals and their suffering. While this topic may seem incongruent with a sad love story, it somehow works. Ruth is an adamant vegetarian, becoming aware of the suffering of animals at a very young age. Edward, who uses animals in his lab, is unconvinced that animals are capable of suffering. Wiering makes a compelling argument that they indeed do feel suffering.
For such a short work, this is a powerful novella and we experience the suffering of these humans – Edward, Ruth, Morris, animals. A brilliant introduction to Wieringa.
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