Maddy is a social worker with three kids and a public
defender husband, Ben. Ben and Maddy are both passionate about their jobs
helping people in need and are passionate in their love for each other and
their children. Although they love their
family, life is very hectic with their eldest, Emma, becoming a teenager, and their
two younger children, Gracie and Caleb, are still very needy. What makes matters worse is that Ben comes
home very late from work quite often and seems to be angry most of the time. Maddy, Emma, Gracie, and Caleb find
themselves constantly placating Ben to stay out of the line of fire.
Ben has a super powered convertible and one day when
late to work after a series of family misadventures, Ben lets his anger and
road rage go too far and causes a terrible accident that puts Maddy into a
coma. How did Ben get to this
point? Will he be able to change? What will happen to their children and to
Maddy?
Accidents of Marriage takes an unflinching look at
what a dire accident and unmanaged anger can do to a family. Often in movies a person will wake up miraculously
from a coma and everything is wonderful again.
When someone has such a traumatic injury, they are not going to be the
same and there is a lot of work and understanding that goes along to help them
along. Also in movies, the angry spouse
will come to learn the error of their ways and will instantly be reformed,
which is not very realistic. This books has the point of view of Maddy, Ben,
and their eldest daughter Emma and how things change in their life.
What I loved the best about this book is that it all
of the characters are three dimensional real people. Being married with three kids of my own, the
scenes felt very real, either close to home or something I could imagine a
neighbor experiencing. From the back of
the novel, I got the sense that Ben would be an evil mustache twirling villain. He is not.
Ben has problems, but so does Maddy.
Ben makes some terrible mistakes, but he also tries his best to help
Maddy. He loves his family, but he has
some major work to do to control his anger.
Maddy at the start of the novel had work to do to get off of her
prescription drug addiction and constant nagging of Ben. Neither partner is perfect, but they are
overall good, real people that want to make their marriage work.
Overall, I thought this was a gripping, realistic portrayal
of a marriage in peril and I enjoyed reading it immensely. I think this book would be a great book for
my book club to discuss. I would be interested to know how my friends felt
about the various characters.
Book Source:
Review Copy from author Randy Susan Meyers as part of the TLC Book Tour. Check out this link for more stops on the
tour.
About Accidents of Marriage
• Paperback: 368 pages • Publisher: Washington Square Press; Reprint edition (June 9, 2015) For Madeline Illica, the love of her husband Ben was her greatest blessing and biggest curse. Brilliant and charming, Ben could turn into a raging bull when crossed—and despite her training as a social worker Maddy never knew what would cross him. When Ben was in a conciliatory mood, they worked on techniques for communication and anger management, but on the day of the accident, nothing seemed to help. Accidents of Marriage holds readers from the first page to the last. “This novel’s unsparing look at emotional abuse and its devastating consequences gives it gravity and bite, while a glimpse into a physically damaged mind both surprises and fascinates.”—People Magazine “A complex, captivating tale.”—Boston Globe “A deft exploration of the borders of abuse and the aftermath of tragedy, the triumphs and disappointments of recovery, and the possibilities of faith and forgiveness.”—Star Tribune “Unputdownable and unforgettable. I just loved it—and I’ll now read everything Randy Susan Meyers writes.”—Liane Moriarty, NYT bestselling author of The Husband’s Secret
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Excellent review, Laura! It sounds as if you most enjoyed the way the characters are portrayed in this book, in a realistic manner. I recently read The Comfort of Lies, and am a fan of Randy Susan Meyers.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you get a chance to discuss this with your book club - I agree that there is a lot to talk about!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of the tour.
I love nuanced books like this! People are rarely all good or all bad, and I can really relate to characters with a lot of depth and flavor.
ReplyDeleteI need to read more Randy Susan Meyers novels. I've read Suko's reviews and especially after reading this, I know that I'll get great stories with in depth characters.
ReplyDelete