The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Ventura, Maud. My Husband. HarperCollins Publishers, 2023.

Maud Ventura's novel My Husband is written from the first person points of view of the two main characters: an unnamed wife and her unnamed husband. The first eight sections of the novel appear in the wife's point of view, while the final section appears in the husband's. The narrative also toys with structure and form, and uses both the present and past tenses. The following summary uses the present tense.

The narrator's Sunday morning with her husband and two children begins pleasantly. However, as soon as her husband tells her that they need to talk about something important, the narrator panics. She is suddenly convinced that her marriage is over. Desperate to understand what may have caused her husband's anger, the narrator scrolls through everything that happened throughout the past week.

The narrator and her husband have been married for 13 years. Although they now have two children and are settled into their married life, the narrator's love for her husband has not faded. Rather, her feelings are just as intense as when they married. The longer they are together, however, the more paranoid and anxious she becomes that her husband will leave her. She has therefore learned to design games and strategies to maintain his interest. She is meticulous about her appearance. She keeps the house in order. She intentionally hides his things so that he has to rely on her to find them.

In spite of all of her techniques and tricks, the husband is often cold, detached, and distant. When he compares her to a clementine during a visit with their friends one night, the narrator feels wounded. When he ogles and flirts with a waitress while they are out to lunch one afternoon, the narrator feels that she no longer knows him.

In spite of her fears and anxieties, when the narrator wakes up to hear her husband telling her that he loves her, she is elated. For the next several hours, she is buoyed by the assurance that her husband is still devoted to her. However, when her husband informs her that he never said he loved her, the narrator's mood deflates. She is so hurt that she decides to exact her revenge and immediately contacts Maxime, the man with whom she has been flirting. They meet for drinks and then have sex at a hotel.

Because her husband always sleeps with her after she has been with another man, the narrator tells herself her infidelity is helping her relationship. As soon as she gets home, she feels desperate for her husband. He too seems eager to be intimate with her.

Everything changes on Saturday. The narrator hates Saturdays although her husband loves them. Worse yet, the couple is hosting a birthday party for their daughter. The narrator tries to endure the event for her husband's sake. However, as soon as she sees him flirting with her only friend Lucie, she is overcome by rage. She immediately grabs Lucie's husband Pierre and drags him upstairs to the bathroom. The two have sex. Afterwards, the narrator is horrified to look outside and make eye contact with her husband through the window.

Therefore, when her husband tells her that he wants to talk on Sunday, the narrator is sure he discovered the truth about Pierre. She is on edge all day anticipating what he will say to her. When he finally sits her down, he tells her he wants to have another child. She is relieved and thrilled. The husband is pleased with himself, as all of his games from the week have gone well. He has been manipulating his wife for years, aware that she is vulnerable and sensitive. Doing so keeps their marriage fresh and ensures that he has power over his wife.