Accidents of Marriage

If you are looking for a love story, this is not it.  This is gritty.  This is real.  This is tough.  This is a flawed marriage.  There are 'accidents' on all parts, but how they over come these 'accident's will determine their future.

Maddy and Ben have been married for a long time.  They have three children, demanding careers and a secret.  Ben has a temper.  A bad one.  Oh, he's never hit any of them but they've all clenched, braced themselves for that moment.  He's certainly thrown a lot of objects.

Then one day there's an accident.  Maddy's hurt.  It's mostly Ben's fault.  Nothing goes well.  How can they get back what they both remember from the beginning of their relationship? Can they? Is it worth fixing? Are they bad for each other?

They both are not perfect.  They both have flaws.  They both are not connecting in a healthy way.  There was a lot of selfish behavior on both accounts.  There isn't a one person take all the blame situation.

I liked the book in the sense that it didn't romanticize the hard parts.  Marriage is hard work.  You have to be all in, all the time.  It's not happy.  It's very sad.  Very thought provoking.

Description: Accidents of Marriage explores a topic rarely shown in fiction: the destruction left in the wake of spouse’s verbal fury. Ben never meant to hurt Maddy. He never imagined his recklessness would lead to tragedy.

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.

Accidents of Marriage explores a topic rarely shown in fiction: the damaging effects of
a spouse’s emotional abuse.

Have you read any other books by Randy Susan Meyers? In your opinion, re there things too big to forgive in a marriage? How easy is it for you to forgive?

 

I received this book for review. All comments and thoughts are my own!