Beware the Woman

Book excerpt: An NPR Best Book of the Year "Beware the Woman is Rebecca wedded to The Handmaid’s Tale . . . along with the feverish psychological twists and turns that Abbott’s novels are celebrated for.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR Honey, I just want you to have everything you ever wanted. That’s what Jacy’s mom always told her. And finally, Jacy did. Newly married and with a baby on the way, Jacy and her husband, Jed, embark on their first road trip together to visit his father, Dr. Ash, in Michigan’s far-flung Upper Peninsula. The moment they arrive at the cottage snug within the woods, Jacy feels bathed in love by the hospitable Dr. Ash, if less so by his house manager, the enigmatic Mrs. Brandt. But their Edenic first days take a turn when Jacy has a health scare. Swiftly, activities are scrapped, and all eyes are on Jacy’s condition. Suddenly, whispers about Jed’s long-dead mother and complicated family history seem to eerily impinge upon the present, and Jacy begins to feel trapped in the cottage, her every move surveilled, her body under the looking glass. But are her fears founded or is it simply paranoia, or cabin fever, or—as is suggested to her—a stubborn refusal to make necessary precautions? The dense woods surrounding the cottage are full of dangers, but what if the greater ones are creeping inside?