Read With Us - Book Four

It's time for our next Read With Us book, and I think we've chosen a great one this time. (I hope you agree!) It's a memoir that reads like a fast-paced novel. The author has written an honest recounting of decades of dishonesty and a critical but truthful portrait of a narcissistic mother and the far-reaching effects she had on multiple families. It's a wild ride of a book, and the title is Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur.

"On a hot July night on Cape Cod when Adrienne was fourteen, her mother, Malabar, woke her at midnight with five simple words that would set the course of both of their lives for years to come: Ben Souther just kissed me. 

Adrienne instantly became her mother’s confidante and helpmate, blossoming in the sudden light of her attention, and from then on, Malabar came to rely on her daughter to help orchestrate what would become an epic affair with her husband’s closest friend. The affair would have calamitous consequences for everyone involved, impacting Adrienne’s life in profound ways, driving her into a precarious marriage of her own, and then into a deep depression. Only years later will she find the strength to embrace her life—and her mother—on her own terms."

When I first heard about this book, I wasn't sure it would be for me. I don't often read memoirs, and dysfunctional families are not my favorite things to read about. But I have started it and it's a page-turner that I think will provide for a wonderful discussion. While this book is a memoir about a dysfunctional family, it's also much more. It's a well-written story of an adult facing all the difficult things she was presented with while growing up, and acknowledging them so she can move towards forgiveness. Yes, it's full of drama, secrets, and lies, but by telling her story, the author can get out from under the years of lies and hopefully be a better mother than her own mother was to her.

I know that several of you have access to curbside pickup at your libraries, so hopefully, you'll be able to get a copy that way or through Overdrive. It's also available from Amazon for Kindle for $12.99, in paperback for $16.99, and through Audible. We'll read the book in June and July; we'll each be doing promotional posts beginning July 7, and then we'll plan on discussing the book in early August. I do hope you'll get Wild Game and Read With Us!