3.5 stars for Wild Game
I received a copy of this from the publisher (thanks HMH!)
This memoir frustrated me from the beginning, to see an innocent 14-year-old's childhood abruptly ended one night when she is awoken by her mother, who confesses that she is embarking on a secret affair with her husband's best friend was so inappropriate. From that night forward, we watch Adrienne become complict in her mother's decade-long affair and the unintended and unrecognized consequences of this inappropriate role.I alternated between intense anger and being flabbergasted by Malabar's (the mother) behavior and parenting style. She comes across as a self-centered (probably narcissistic) person who is blindingly focused on one thing, her affair with Ben, with no regard to how she is using her teenage daughter, alienating her son, and hurting her husband and Ben's wife.
The most heart-breaking part for me was seeing how Adrienne's life also became focused and heavily influenced by this affair. The consequences were lasting and far-reaching. This is a very honest retelling of her experience. I had hoped for a little more on her story once she started to realize the affects her mother and her relationship with her had on her life. The majority of the book was dedicated to the history of their relationship and a very short portion to the author's "current reality" which I was actually very interested in.
This is reminiscent of Glass Castles, Inheritance and Educated (although decidedly less fast-paced than Educated). The dysfunction centered primarily around the mother's emotional abuse or manipulation of her daughter and addiction, rather than sexual or physical abuse.
This memoir frustrated me from the beginning, to see an innocent 14-year-old's childhood abruptly ended one night when she is awoken by her mother, who confesses that she is embarking on a secret affair with her husband's best friend was so inappropriate. From that night forward, we watch Adrienne become complict in her mother's decade-long affair and the unintended and unrecognized consequences of this inappropriate role.I alternated between intense anger and being flabbergasted by Malabar's (the mother) behavior and parenting style. She comes across as a self-centered (probably narcissistic) person who is blindingly focused on one thing, her affair with Ben, with no regard to how she is using her teenage daughter, alienating her son, and hurting her husband and Ben's wife.
The most heart-breaking part for me was seeing how Adrienne's life also became focused and heavily influenced by this affair. The consequences were lasting and far-reaching. This is a very honest retelling of her experience. I had hoped for a little more on her story once she started to realize the affects her mother and her relationship with her had on her life. The majority of the book was dedicated to the history of their relationship and a very short portion to the author's "current reality" which I was actually very interested in.
This is reminiscent of Glass Castles, Inheritance and Educated (although decidedly less fast-paced than Educated). The dysfunction centered primarily around the mother's emotional abuse or manipulation of her daughter and addiction, rather than sexual or physical abuse.