My Husband

My Husband belongs to the subgenre of the domestic noir, a branch of crime and thriller fiction in which the intimate relationship is the site of violence, whether emotional or otherwise. Other books from this genre include Gone Girl (2012) by Gillian Flynn and You (2014) by Caroline Kepnes. 

The domestic noir novel traces the dismantling of a seemingly loving or perfect relationship to reveal the hidden problems underneath. Since the genre unravels the notion of the ideal relationship, it creates space to discuss gender roles, society’s unfair standards for women, and the contemporary pressure to maintain appearances. Domestic noir novels can have feminist underpinnings, showing how patriarchal institutions drive women to extremes. For instance, in My Husband, Ariane feels so pressured to remain a married woman that she overlooks the many signs of her husband’s manipulation and control.

The characters in a domestic noir novel often suppress their emotions or true self in the quest for domesticity, with these repressed emotions often erupting in acts of violence. Ariane commits psychological warfare against her husband by hiding his things, while her husband plans to con her into a third pregnancy.