Book Review: Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur


Publisher: Mariner Books
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs

A daughter’s tale of living in the thrall of her magnetic, complicated mother, and the chilling consequences of her complicity.

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.  

Wild Game is a brilliant, timeless memoir about how the people close to us can break our hearts simply because they have access to them, and the lies we tell in order to justify the choices we make. It’s a remarkable story of resilience, a reminder that we need not be the parents our parents were to us.

❥ Content Warning: May be triggering for some readers due to adult subject matter

❥ PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon | B&NGoodreads | Bookbub | Google Books


My Review 🖤

I read Wild Game one weekend where I could delve deep into the story without many distractions.  As soon as I was done reading I did a deep Google search on narcissism and found Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  Malabar, the mother of Adrienne Brodeur, fits the definition of this disorder to a T.  How can a mother in good conscience ask her daughter to help her cover up an affair that she started with her best friend's husband?!!

This story is like a bad car accident: you want to look away from the carnage, but yet you're so fascinated that you can't look away.  My heart hurts for Adrienne and the weight of keeping such a huge lie to herself for such a long time.  I hope that writing her story was cathartic for her, and that she was able to get the closure on this chapter of her life.  I can't imagine how hard writing this must've been for her.

Adrienne did an great job writing all the details about the eclectic cuisine that her mother created.  This aspect of the story was fascinating and hands down my favorite part of the story. 

Wild Game is a heartbreaking narrative with an incomprehensible narcissist, the man she's obsessed with, and the daughter who had no choice but to keep her dirty little secret, losing herself in the process.  A tougher read for me, especially since it triggered memories of my own dealings with a promiscuous parent, but I don't regret this weekend read at all.

My Rating: ★★★

About the Author

Adrienne Brodeur is the author of the bestselling memoir, “Wild Game,” which is in development for film. During her 15 years in the publishing industry, she founded the literary magazine “Zoetrope: All-Story” with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, was an acquiring editor at Harcourt and HMH Books, and served as a judge for the National Book Award. Her essays have appeared in Glamour, O Magazine, The National, The New York Times, Vogue, and other publications. She is the Executive Director of the literary nonprofit, Aspen Words.


Connect with Adrienne: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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