A captivating and unique memoir
At the age of 14, Adrienne is awoken in the middle of the night by her mother, Malabar. Malabar tells her that their longtime family friend, Ben, has kissed her after their dinner party. Ben is best friends with Malabar’s husband and Adrienne’s stepfather, the godfather to her stepfather’s children and also married. Adrienne is pulled in as she becomes privy to Malabar and Ben’s illicit affair that spans decades. Teenage Adrienne doesn’t realize the ripple effect her duplicity in their affair will have over the course of her own life, as well as many others’ lives.
Brodeur’s depictions of her mother and herself are very in depth and I loved her writing style in her memoir. It is very descriptive and well written as you get pulled into the cat and mouse game that Malabar and Ben created for their families. Adrienne is asked to provide alibis and fabricate situations in order to provide them with more opportunities to be together. Adrienne and Malabar’s mother daughter relationship is explored and the consequences of lacking boundaries between parent and child. I found the chronology of this memoir to be great as well, as the reader gets the whole story across the lives of the subjects instead of just a snapshot. I really enjoyed this memoir that explores what it means to be faithful in romantic as well as familial relationships.
Brodeur’s depictions of her mother and herself are very in depth and I loved her writing style in her memoir. It is very descriptive and well written as you get pulled into the cat and mouse game that Malabar and Ben created for their families. Adrienne is asked to provide alibis and fabricate situations in order to provide them with more opportunities to be together. Adrienne and Malabar’s mother daughter relationship is explored and the consequences of lacking boundaries between parent and child. I found the chronology of this memoir to be great as well, as the reader gets the whole story across the lives of the subjects instead of just a snapshot. I really enjoyed this memoir that explores what it means to be faithful in romantic as well as familial relationships.