Accidents of Marriage
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.Randy Susan Meyers takes us inside the hearts and minds of her characters, alternating among the perspectives of Maddy, Ben, and their fourteen-year-old daughter. Accidents of Marriage is a provocative and stunning novel that will resonate deeply with women from all walks of life, ultimately revealing the challenges of family, faith, and forgiveness.
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.Randy Susan Meyers takes us inside the hearts and minds of her characters, alternating among the perspectives of Maddy, Ben, and their fourteen-year-old daughter. Accidents of Marriage is a provocative and stunning novel that will resonate deeply with women from all walks of life, ultimately revealing the challenges of family, faith, and forgiveness.
ACCIDENTS OF MARRIAGE explores a topic rarely shown in fiction: the damaging effects of a spouse’s emotional abuse.
My review...........3 stars
I picked up this book since I had read a few glowing reviews of it. I'm not really sure how to describe my reaction to this book except to say I liked it, but I didn't love it. It was well written, and I thought the subject matter was important, and something not overdone in books (emotional abuse vs physical abuse). I just didn't get into any of the characters. I went from feeling something for them (and their pain), to wanting to slap them (maybe not the best choice of words in a novel about abuse). My favorite character was the teenage daughter, who was really well written, but (as is typical with a teenager) some of her behavior just made me so annoyed! I was happy with the ending, but the author did leave it kind of open ended in a way I would not want, so I'm going to make up my own ending to what I would like 🙂
This is my first book by this author, and I would not hesitate to pick up another. I liked her writing, these particular characters just didn't work for me. Go check out other reviews on all the book sites to decide if this one is right for you.
This is one of the ones on my "to-read" list, Donna! I like your assessment. I have sort of a love/hate relationship with open ended endings. They do make you keep thinking about the book though... Hope you're having a great day! xo Kristy
Whew! I've been stalling on reading this book but have felt like I was missing something because all the reviews were so glowing! I'll still read it but I'll lower my expectations a bit which should help my enjoyment of the book. Great review! I love that you're making up your own ending. That's what I would do!
As I commented to another poster, I think this would be a good one to borrow from the library. That way you can love it (or not) and not feel any monetary ties to it. I did read a glowing review of it today, so maybe it's just me 🙂
Ah yes, I often want to slap characters on the back of the head..Gibbs style (NCIS) sorry this one wasn't better for you.
It doesn't help that I have two teenage daughters that I often want to Gibbs slap....lol.
I've read one of her previous books and felt the same lackluster appreciation for it that you felt for this one. I liked it but did not love it and no matter the seriousness of the main topic of the story, I promptly forgot all about it. Authors like that make me nervous, and I am hesitant to read their latest. I might pick this up at the library one day. It sounds like it would be a perfect library selection.
I think this would be perfect as a library read. I always feel obligated to read and love a book that I paid for. Sometimes that just isn't going to happen 🙂
Sounds like an ok read but I would expect to really FEEL a book about emotional abuse. The lack of connection with the characters probably explains why it didn't hit you harder. Interesting though, I'll put it on the maybe list 🙂