★Writer Maruyama Masaki's debut work, "Def Voice: The Sign Language Interpreter in Court," has been adapted into an NHK TV drama starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi in the winter of 2023, and is also in the process of being adapted into a South Korean film.

★ The shift from "sweetheart" to "old hag" can happen in just a few short years. When daily grievances cross a breaking point, the incident arrives unnoticed. This is an emotionally explosive post-romance suspense novel.

★ Before marriage, everyone only talks about the good things—so why does no one warn us about the intense loneliness, the emptiness of life, and the anxiety about the future that comes after? This work delves into the essence and fragility of marriage through the perspectives of three dissatisfied wives, creating an unputdownable suspense novel.

If you suddenly come across this book, you might be immediately drawn in by its eye-catching title. Whether you flip through it out of curiosity or deliberately avoid it because it hits too close to home, one thing is certain—this is a thought most married women have likely had at some point. And of course, if men were to replace "husband" in the title with "wife," they’d probably relate just as deeply.

The protagonist, Maya, was born in the first year of the Heisei era. After an unremarkable romance, she married her husband and now lives in an apartment in Setagaya. Both have careers, no children yet—she’s the epitome of a modern woman. But just five years into marriage, she’s grown utterly fed up with her husband, even muttering in frustration that she wishes he were dead. Her career has hit a plateau too, leaving her discontented in every aspect of life.

Then there’s Yurika, a housewife tormented by her memory-loss-afflicted husband’s emotional manipulation, and Riko, who’s newly single after divorce. Together, these three women weave a tale filled with the "all-too-common" struggles of urban women.

The first crisis strikes Yurika—an accident during a heated argument with her husband. Panicked, she turns to Riko for help, only to receive a shocking proposal that drags Maya into the mess. Then, Maya’s husband suddenly vanishes. With the man she so deeply resented gone, does she finally feel free? Or does she realize he was irreplaceable after all? As Maya searches for him, she begins to see how her fixation on grievances blinded her to everything else.

For a while, things seem to settle—each woman returning to her place—but the author plants a terrifying time bomb in the narrative. Is it a hint of their futures with their husbands, or...? What will you feel when the tension finally snaps in the thrilling climax?

Masaki Maruyama

Born in Tokyo in 1961. Graduated from Waseda University.
After working as a screenwriter, he made his literary debut with Def Voice, a submission for the Matsumoto Seicho Prize.
This mystery novel—featuring a hearing child raised in a deaf family who becomes a sign language interpreter—sparked widespread discussion. Its sequels, The Dragon’s Ears to You, The Soundless Cry, and At the Table Without Me, were subsequently published.

In 2021, Wonderful Life was selected for "Reader Meter OF THE YEAR 2021."
In 2022, The Dragon’s Ears to You won the 17th Sake no Tsubo Booksellers Award.

Other notable works include Drifting Children, Welcome Home!, and The Kids Are Alright.