The Watchful Wife is the fifth novel by Australian lawyer and author, Suzanne Leal. When her husband Gordon, the Deputy Head of English at the exclusive Grandborough High School, is arrested for the sexual assault of one of his students, Ellen O’Hanlon refuses to believe he could have done what they say. Can a thirty-two-year-old English teacher in the twenty-first Century be this naïve? Or is hers simply an unshakeable faith in an innocent man, the man she loves?

Ellen is the product of a strict, severe and very sheltered childhood: her father is an elder of the Scottish Free Church of Kirkton; her mother clothes her in long dresses covering to the wrist, neck and ankle; the school’s sports uniform, way too immodest, is forbidden; Ellen has no friends of her own age, but the Sabbath School teacher, the school librarian and the sewing teacher are kind and have her best interests at heart.

Eventually, with encouragement from these women, she manages to avoid the inevitable marriage to a church member, becomes a teacher, and even summons the mettle to leave home. Despite the Free Church’s rigid mindset, Ellen does miss the sense of belonging she had there, especially when she meets and marries Gordon O’Hanlon, a Catholic(!) and is ostracised by her parents and the church.

Leal’s depiction of Ellen’s upbringing is quite credible, as is the ordeal that Gordon and Ellen endure as reputations are shattered; it is several later plot points that may require some suspension of disbelief and may feel a little contrived. While initially Ellen’s back story may seem to lack relevance, that harsh upbringing is perhaps what gives her the resilience and strength to withstand the challenges she has to face. An interesting and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Allen & Unwin.