I’m too busy to read a draft novel. I work, run the household of kids and am in the middle of five other books plus my industry reports.

I would skim it at most and if fiction is pass entirely.

Does he have a real job too?

My husband has written several books. I read the first draft of his first book all the way through. He read various parts of it to me out loud. It is not on a subject that I'm particularly interested in, but because I am interested IN HIM, I did my best to listen to what he was reading with an open mind, the same way I have done in every other situation where someone cares about something I'm not interested in.

I haven't read his 2nd or 3rd book, as they are also on topics I'm not interested in. He doesn't care. He talks about his work enough that I'm familiar without needing me to fawn over his actual writing. He (emotionally) did need me to fawn at least a little over how cool it was that he wrote a book the first time, though. I knew that he needed that, though, so he didn't have to ask.

Anonymous wrote:My husband has been working on his first novel. He is mad at me and says I cannot buy another book until I read the draft of his novel. I have tried to read it before and find it boring! I don’t know how I’ll get through 200 pages of it!!

What a unique problem!

Why aren’t you even saying if it’s some hard sciences non fiction or what?

Hope he has a real editor because I would only skim it not read it and certainly not provide feedback or comments unless I had time and expertise.

Is this a publish it yourself thing?
Otherwise he would have RAs working on it and editors and publishers later.

Read it, skimming if you want. Find things to praise about it—an interesting character, good use of figurative language, a well described setting, a segment of interesting dialog, a plot twist. Even if the book won’t ever get published, your spouse put a lot of work into it and wants recognition for something that’s important to him. Validate his effort and passion.

But have a cover for your lack of interest. You could say you just don’t read a lot of that genre, that lately you’ve preferred non-fiction to fiction, that you have a hard time relating to the protagonist, anything that communicates “It’s not you; it’s me.” Then explain that because the book isn’t your “thing,” through no fault of your husband’s, he should solicit feedback from someone who is more into his style of writing, however you want to characterize that style.

It's weird that he is "making" you!

That said, I wrote a book and I did ask my husband to if he wanted to read it, and I gave it to him right before I turned the manuscript in to the publisher. He read it and was really sweet. He suggested I added one piece of data and he was right about it. The other authors I know also let their spouses be one of their first readers. It's an honor!

Anonymous wrote:is 'obligated' a word? isn't it 'obliged'?

Ask your DH to write a dictionary, and read it.

Anonymous wrote:No you are not obliged at all especially if it's boring af. I wrote a textbook in Math and my wife liked the cover and the pictures and she browsed though it. That's good enough for me lol.

Tell us more! What subject?

If you read this whole thread you could nearly have read the entire book op.

But also what is the book (if now published)? We can read it for you and share a BLUF of it here if you'd like?! 😆😆😆😂

OP's husband shouldnt ask OP to read his book, nor should he have to ask. The desire to read it should come from OP and her love.

If OP's child wrote a boring book, would OP read it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read my husband's PhD thesis, surely a novel is easier to read than that.

And if it's truly boring surely you can give him some editing suggestions?

I don't think OP's husband is looking for constructive suggestions. He wants to hear he's written a masterpiece.

New poster. Unless you're the husband, or you have magical mind-reading powers,what you "think" he wants to hear is meaningless. Maybe you're projecting, because you have a "tell me I'm perfect" person in your own life. If so, that does not automatically translate into "this total stranger wants exactly what my insecure spouse/relative/friend wants."

I infer this from OP's OP.

Maybe this is another great troll, with some boring problem that we're all going to fight about for 100 pages now until Jeff writes it up in his blog.

We can infer all day long, but when we write posts definitively, as if we have unequivocal insight into someone's motives, well, it smells like projection, whether you're actually projecting or not. The DH might not need to hear "it's a masterpiece." Some people can take actual criticism of their work. The issues are that she's not willing even to make any effort for him and, if she's being accurate, that he's so angry he's issuing orders to her.

But I am now wondering if OP might be a bot. I have to read AI-generated stuff for work sometimes, and this post--especially the "What a unique problem" line sounds like something an AI program would toss into a "Dear Abby" letter.

Anonymous wrote:My husband has been working on his first novel. He is mad at me and says I cannot buy another book until I read the draft of his novel. I have tried to read it before and find it boring! I don’t know how I’ll get through 200 pages of it!!

What a unique problem!

I'm surprised no one else is getting stuck on this part: He "says I cannot buy another book" until she reads it. WTF? I'm going to hope that was either a terrible joke on his part, or something idiotic said in the heat of an argument, because if they have a dynamic where either of them tells the other what they can and cannot do, well, they have far larger problems than this book.

Putting that aside, OP, he's looking for support. Are you actually scared he'll expect you to gush over it? Like someone else said, you can skim it and intentionally pick out a few things to ask about. "How did you decide that character X would do Y?" is not effusive gushing, if that's what you fear, and it'll make him feel you paid attention. Sure, some authors do not want their spouses reading their work, but he has specifically asked you to do so (and it should be asked, not "told").

Do you always balk at doing whatever you deem "boring," without any regard to what others are asking of you? Especially when that other person is supposedly the primary person in your life, and a person you love and value? Maybe think about that. I wonder if you're slightly embarrassed by the idea that he's working on a novel and not doing whatever else you think is more interesting, lucrative, or important...to you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read my husband's PhD thesis, surely a novel is easier to read than that.

And if it's truly boring surely you can give him some editing suggestions?

I don't think OP's husband is looking for constructive suggestions. He wants to hear he's written a masterpiece.

New poster. Unless you're the husband, or you have magical mind-reading powers,what you "think" he wants to hear is meaningless. Maybe you're projecting, because you have a "tell me I'm perfect" person in your own life. If so, that does not automatically translate into "this total stranger wants exactly what my insecure spouse/relative/friend wants."

I infer this from OP's OP.

Maybe this is another great troll, with some boring problem that we're all going to fight about for 100 pages now until Jeff writes it up in his blog.

If you can't buy another book until you read his, then use the public library to procure other books.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read my husband's PhD thesis, surely a novel is easier to read than that.

And if it's truly boring surely you can give him some editing suggestions?

I don't think OP's husband is looking for constructive suggestions. He wants to hear he's written a masterpiece.

New poster. Unless you're the husband, or you have magical mind-reading powers,what you "think" he wants to hear is meaningless. Maybe you're projecting, because you have a "tell me I'm perfect" person in your own life. If so, that does not automatically translate into "this total stranger wants exactly what my insecure spouse/relative/friend wants."

Anonymous wrote:I read my husband's PhD thesis, surely a novel is easier to read than that.

And if it's truly boring surely you can give him some editing suggestions?

I don't think OP's husband is looking for constructive suggestions. He wants to hear he's written a masterpiece.