Mary is fat. Not just fat, but morbidly obese. She knows she's fat (thank you very much) and lives her life in defensive, deflective blame, isolating herself in the small farming town of Leaford, Ontario, the locale of Lori Lansens' first two novels. Everyone skirts the subject of her weight, the literal elephant in the room. Mary and her husband Gooch have gradually drifted away from each other.

On their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, Mary's husband disappears. Bewildered, Mary abandons her sheltered life in pursuit of him across America, encountering a dazzling array of characters and discovering a boundless supply of human kindness in unexpected places. Runaway children, single mothers, taxi drivers, migrant workers and bitter relatives enter her life in chaotic fashion. Pounds melt away as she walks, runs, swims, drives and flies in momentous steps from claustrophobic Leaford to the freedom of California, hermissing husband a spectre dogging each step. She discovers new worlds in hidden pockets of Los Angeles before she arrives at her final destination, the most unexpected surprise of all.

The Wife's Tale is a vivid exploration of a woman taking small, courageous steps toward her authentic self for the first time in her life. In pursuit of her husband, she finds herself instead. Mary Gooch is as indelible a creation as Sharla Cody and Addy Shad of Rush Home Road and Rose and Ruby Darlen of The Girls.    

PRAISE FOR THE WIFE'S TALE

“Lansens’ rendering of the hell that is compulsive eating somehow transcends … Mary Gooch becomes real and unforgettable.”  — SLATE.COM

“A sensitive but deliciously comic account of Mary’s fight against the ‘obeast’ that has lived inside her since childhood.”  — THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Lansens’ clear prose unveils the connetion between a body weighed down by flesh and a spirit smothered by loneliness. Mary’s odyssey of heartache and hope is not so much about finding her husband as it is about rediscovering herself.”  — PEOPLE

“Lansens’ portrait of a woman who hides behind the Kenmore as protection from life’s heartache is earthy and primal in its pain. Yet Lansens doesn’t resort to an overnight makeover to save Mary. Instead, our heroine uncovers a hidden strength she had all along. Those who loved The Girls will be pleased that Lansens is back. Highly recommended.”  — LIBRARY JOURNAL, starred review

“Like short-story queen Alice Munro, to whom she is often compared, Lansens demonstrates a singular gift for discerning both the ordinary and the extraordinary in small-town life and small-town people.”  — WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

“This uplifting story illustrates how a life can be transformed at any time, even if it seems stuck in a permanent rut. Mary is wonderful … Lansens’ memorable journey takes Mary out of her comfort zone and reintroduces her not only to the world beyond but also to herself.”  — ROMANTIC TIMES

“Lansens’s great capacity for humour and insight … makes this book riveting and compelling.”  — ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Mary wins us over from the start … she is privately passionate and determined.”  — THE GLOBE AND MAIL

“A book club favourite returns with yet another unconventional heroine … [Lansens is] a persuasive, dynamic storyteller.”  — TORONTO STAR