Accidents of Marriage explores a topic rarely shown in
fiction: the destruction left in the wake of spouse’s verbal fury. Ben never
meant to hurt Maddy. He never imagined his recklessness would lead to
tragedy.
Maddy is a social worker trying to balance her career and three children. Years ago, she fell in love with Ben, a public defender, drawn to his fiery passion, but now he’s lashing out at her during his periodic verbal furies. She vacillates between tiptoeing around him and asserting herself for the sake of their kids – which works to keep a fragile peace – until the rainy day when they’re together in the car and Ben’s volatile temper gets the best of him, leaving Maddy in the hospital fighting for her life.
My Thoughts…
I have decided I live in a sheltered world, never have I met
someone who treated people like Ben.
That being said, I do not have my head in the sand and know that there
are people out there who just cannot control their anger.
I struggled with Ben. Did I like him? Not always, but when the going got tough he
seemed to do the best he could and step up as much as he possibly could. Did I trust him? Heck no.
I was waiting for the other shoe to drop throughout this entire
book. I know he was trying to change
his ways, but it was still not enough.
Did I want him to change his ways?
Absolutely. I never want to see a
family fall apart and held out hope until the very last page that he would
figure out how to change his ways and control his anger. Ben was put in an extremely tough place and
had to flounder and figure out how to make it work for him, his wife, and his
children. Anyone man or woman would struggle
with that and I really respected how he did step up and do the best he could.
Accidents of Marriage is all about abuse, there was no
physical abuse, but the anger and the emotional abuse was evident on almost
every page. Seeing Maddy and the kids
make excuse and try to sugar coat it to the rest of the world was eye opening
and extremely scary.
This is not an easy read.
It is a story that will stay with me for a while after finishing
it. I highly recommend it, but know
that once you start you will have to finish.
Putting the book down is just not an option.
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“Beautifully written, poignant and thought-provoking,
this novel refuses to succumb to stereotypical reader expectations, making it
even more memorable.” — Kirkus Starred Review
“This is a wise and penetrating book.”
—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling
author, Orphan Train
“An incredibly accomplished and satisfying read with an
important message.”—Jane Green, New York Times and
international bestselling author,Tempting Fate
“It's amazing how warm Meyers' writing is even as
her stories grip you by the hand and don't let go.”
—Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling
author, Those Who Save Us
“[Meyers] has managed to make us empathize with every
member of this damaged family. This is an important story.”
—Brunonia Barry, New York Times and
international bestselling author, The Lace Reader and The
Map of True Places
“A bold and poignant look into the complicated, slippery
world of what constitutes emotional abuse. Meyers …didn't let me go
until the extremely satisfying end.”
—Amy Hatvany, author, Safe with Me
“Meyers captures the necessity and complexity of
excavating the truth as the foundation of life moving forward.”
—Janet Cromer, author, Professor Cromer Learns to
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