First, I would like to thank BookishFirst for providing me with a free print ARC copy of this novel. Below is my honest review.
First, I must say, that after reading a few reviews that have already been posted for this book, I am appalled at the number of people who are basically judging the quality of the book by the author's privileged upbringing. To do so is to assert that someone who has family money does not have the right to suffer from severe depression or that somehow a child's mental and emotional abuse is less valid because her parents have a beach house on Cape Cod.
Adrienne Brodeur has laid her past bare for the public to see, opening herself and her family up to scrutiny and judgment. She has done so knowing that her story is one worthy of being told. Never have I read of a mother as narcissistic and self-serving as Malabar. With complete and utter disregard for the feelings of anyone but herself, she launches into an affair that spans over a decade. She has no concern for the lives she destroys in the process. Brodeur has an exceptional writing style, making the book difficult to put down. The story moves quickly, beginning when the author was 14 and moving through subsequent decades. There is a quote in the book that I will not repeat here and spoil for anyone, but when stated by Malabar, I wanted to punch her square in her smug face. I was fully invested in this memoir and I highly recommend it. I am excited also that the film rights were sold and that we will get to experience this tale visually.
First, I must say, that after reading a few reviews that have already been posted for this book, I am appalled at the number of people who are basically judging the quality of the book by the author's privileged upbringing. To do so is to assert that someone who has family money does not have the right to suffer from severe depression or that somehow a child's mental and emotional abuse is less valid because her parents have a beach house on Cape Cod.
Adrienne Brodeur has laid her past bare for the public to see, opening herself and her family up to scrutiny and judgment. She has done so knowing that her story is one worthy of being told. Never have I read of a mother as narcissistic and self-serving as Malabar. With complete and utter disregard for the feelings of anyone but herself, she launches into an affair that spans over a decade. She has no concern for the lives she destroys in the process. Brodeur has an exceptional writing style, making the book difficult to put down. The story moves quickly, beginning when the author was 14 and moving through subsequent decades. There is a quote in the book that I will not repeat here and spoil for anyone, but when stated by Malabar, I wanted to punch her square in her smug face. I was fully invested in this memoir and I highly recommend it. I am excited also that the film rights were sold and that we will get to experience this tale visually.