In this gorgeous modern Beowulf retelling, the magical forces at work serve to illuminate the social ones. The novel follows two sets of mothers and sons: Willa and Dylan, who enjoy a privileged position in the wealthy suburban development of Herot Hall, and Dana and Gren, who squat in a cave nearby. Monster stories often give shape to cultural anxieties about the Other, and the privileged have long ascribed monstrous qualities to the marginalized. The Mere Wife is an urgent story that makes the fantastical monster an instrument in its examination of privilege, power, and brutality.