The Stepford wives (1972 original; edició 1972)

I bought this book for a plane trip from England, hoping to read the book after having seen the movie sometime in the late 70s or early 80s. I didn't end up reading it on the flight, as I got drawn into another great thing from the 70s, John Carpenter's film "Assault on Precinct 13." But, The Stepford Wives only languished a few weeks and I read it in three sessions over the last few days.

It started out slow, got slower, and then finally picked up speed, language-wise, about 1/2 through the 2nd part. The 3rd part was foreshadowed too obviously, and probably could have been cut to add to the tension of the ending. The book felt kind of light, even if it was an e-Book I was reading. It read more like a screen treatment, which is why the movie adaptation might actually be a bit better.

Having said that, the ideas the book dealt with: suburbia, submission, women's liberation, careers, looks, etc. are very important and I'm glad that a book could approach them through the lens of the genres of science fiction and thrillers. It goes to show that fiction, especially genre fiction, is a useful tool for attacking the current constructed social, political and economic order. ( )

The idea of entering a star rating for a book that came out when I was in kindergarten is pretty funny to me. But here we are.

Anyway.

The other night I was listening to the "You're Wrong About" podcast, and it was about The Stepford Wives. I read this book when I was probably about 19, and I've seen both movie adaptations, so I was pretty familiar with the basic concept, and even remembered details about the ending (which, considering that I can't remember the ending of a book I read a couple of months ago, is saying something). But YWA talked about things like the presence of Lithium in the water in El Paso, and how Miltown became popular in the days before Valium, and both of those things are actually part of my family history (specifically, my mother's history). I immediately went to Scribd and found the book, and ripped right through it.

I appreciate it much more now than I did at 19. I probably read it originally with at least a little of the "weren't our parents hilarious" take that older teenagers have on the past. I'm sure the technological ridiculousness of the concept was a big part of that. But now I understand that the technology isn't the scary part; it's the betrayal. It's the idea that someone you thought knew and loved you actually wants you to LITERALLY be someone else.

I really wish I could ask my mother if she read it at the time (she probably didn't; she didn't like to read). It would have been popular just at the time that my father moved to California, leaving us stranded in another state, her having not worked outside the house in 20 years, lucky to get a part-time job as a church secretary, relying on my teenage sister for childcare. I'm betting that given the option, she would have chosen to be a Stepford Wife over that. I'm betting that there were many, many other women in her situation who would have chosen that too. I'm also betting that Ira Levin knew this. I mean, even now I have to admit that I would *love* to have a mental subroutine that sees a spot on the carpet and immediately pulls out the vinegar and cleans it up before it becomes a vast, mysterious dark patch that a whole can of Resolve won't touch.

And that's part of the horror too, and what makes the book relevant, even now. That we are still so socialized to accept that these things--housekeeping and husband-keeping (mothering doesn't seem as important to the Stepford Wives)--are important enough that the idea of doing them automatically, without thinking about them, is still appealing, nearly 50 years later. ( )

Joanna’s life seems to be going just as it should. She’s got a supportive husband, has two healthy children who argue only as much as any others their age, her photography is beginning to be recognized and profitable, and the whole family has just moved to the quiet suburb of Stepford. Only, Stepford isn’t exactly what she was expecting. In fact, in the whole area, Joanna has only found two other women who are remotely normal . . . all the rest seem to be perfect housewives, actors in commercials almost, focused only on their housework and pleasing their husbands. It’s all terribly backward for the times, and something about it just doesn’t sit right with Joanna.

Fair warning that 1) I’ll probably spoil something about this story somewhere in the review, and 2) I’ll likely ignore a lot of things that are typically commented on or have different opinions from those that are popular. This book is iconic enough–and well enough known–that I’m not really trying to avoid either of the above. The Stepford Wives is a psychological thriller set in 1970’s suburban Connecticut. It’s also a solid example of what I would term “suburban horror”–the whole idea that in the suburbs no one will give you too much grief about [insert horrible thing you do here] so long as your house is tidy and your lawn neat and green. So yeah, basically throughout the whole town, all the women are being murdered and replaced by robots because the menfolk in this backwards place prefer that over real, modern women with opinions and personality and interests outside the home. Blah, blah, social commentary, you get the picture. It’s a great insight, this far out from when the story was written, into the mindsets and social atmosphere that were prevalent at that point. From a strictly storytelling perspective, this story is fascinatingly written. Much like Rosemary’s Baby, Levin limits us to what Joanna knows but also sticks strictly to the facts. This happened, that happened, in minute detail at times–we’re given occurrences, hints, the passage of time, and Joanna’s gradual horrifying realization, but we never actually delve into her psyche and emotions. It’s all objective and almost clinical at times, the clear, spare way in which things are written. But I really like the way it’s done; in some ways, it increases the horror of what’s happening as you begin to realize along with Joanna just what’s going down in this place. Also, the pacing of the story is deliberate, spelled out in minute daily events, in a way that makes the progression seem inevitable. I enjoyed The Stepford Wives quite a lot and would recommend it to those interested in psychological thrillers/horror. Just don’t expect a fast-paced, emotion-drenched story coming in to it. ( )

I really enjoyed this one and how casually creepy it was. The author was a master at weaving a story, which meant I was never bored, and the book raised many problems that I've struggled with myself: how defenceless I can be against physical strength, how there are times when nobody believes me/cares even about things that turned out to be right... Plus, there was an asexuality mention, which made my day! All in all, I definitely recommend this one. ( )

I don't think the book was bad but I made the mistake to read to foreword and... it spoiled the plot and all the pleasure of reading the book to me. So while the story is interesting and thought provoking, just don't read any foreword, introduction or so on before getting on with the story. ( )