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    Accidents of Marriage
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    Accidents of Marriage
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    Accidents of Marriage
    Audiobook12 hours

    Accidents of Marriage

    Written by Randy Susan Meyers

    Narrated by Susan Bennett

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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. 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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateSep 23, 2014
    ISBN9781633790193
    Unavailable
    Accidents of Marriage
    Author

    Randy Susan Meyers

    Randy Susan Meyers is the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed The Murderer’s Daughters, which was chosen as a Massachusetts Center for the Book “Must-Read Book” and a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award. She currently lives in Boston with her husband.

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    Reviews for Accidents of Marriage

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      I really liked the idea of this book, but in practice I found it much less emotionally moving than similar books I've read recently (Five Days Left, for example). Like Five Days Left, Accidents of Marriage shows some of the frustrations associated with disabilities caused by disease or injury. I think that makes both of these books very worthwhile reminders to be patient with others. Also, although these kind of events might feel emotionally manipulative to some, I'm a sucker for books where people try to find happiness despite such challenges. However, in Accidents of Marriage, I didn't feel we got to see Maddy changing in response to her injury. It's clear that to go on would have required great strength of character given the challenges Maddy faces. From what we get to see, though, it seems as if most of the changes in her life are precipitated by the accident. There's very little of Maddy choosing to make changes on her own.

      Another thing that bothered me was Ben's character. I was excited that we also got his perspective and hoped it would add some complexity to the story, but even from Ben's perspective, he has no redeeming qualities. This meant that I spent a lot of the book stressing that he might become physically violent and that Maddy might forgive him for everything. I would rather have felt emotionally invested in their relationship. It would have been nice to see why it was so hard for Maddy to realize that Ben's behavior was unacceptable and to empathize with why she feel in love with him in the first place. Despite these shortcomings, this was a very enjoyable read. The plot was my kind of plot, the writing was beautiful, and some of the challenges Maddy and her children faced were very moving. I just would have liked to see more character growth from Maddy and less pure evil from Ben.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book.
    • 5/5
      Very good book
    • 3/5
      I thought this was a pretty good story involving a husband with severe anger management issues, his wife who uses pills to cope with the situation, and 3 vulnerable kids affected by it all. Based on this one, I'll probably check out this author's other books.
    • 5/5
      Oh my gosh, I can't even begin to tell you how well written this book was and the icing on the cake for me was the narrator was amazing! I felt the energy, passion, and anger of each character. I can't wait to read another book from this author.
    • 3/5
      This was a solid 3-star book for me. I liked it, but wanted more. Liane Moriarity, one of my new favorite authors for her wit and willingness to tackle difficult subject matter, endorsed this book as "one of those rare novels that is both unputdownable and unforgettable." At no point did I want to abandon the book, but I don't expect this story to stick with me over time. Not surprisingly, however, this book resonated strongly with my mother and I read it at her recommendation. About two years ago, our family dealt with the impact of an unexpected accident that also led to an injury similar to Maddy's and it was my mother who was the initial sole caregiver in that situation. To this day, the effects of that accident can still be felt in our family. I suspect it was the middle that was so emotionally touching for my mother - as it was for me: that excruciating time of "not knowing" while Maddy was in the hospital and then Maddy's unpredictable behavior after her initial return home. Unfortunately, the husband's pattern of verbal abuse, and the reaction of the family, didn't seem as convincing (or important) to me and I think that was supposed to be the meat of the story.
    • 4/5
      I found myself emotionally involved in the relationship between Maddy and Ben in this new book by the fantastic writer Randy Susan Meyers. Myers really delivered again with Accidents of Marriage. I love books like this one that allow me to see behind the doors of a home an into the lives of a family. What a great examination of a marriage! A very flawed relationship that was hard to understand at times...but Myers handled it all very well.
    • 3/5
      I am a yeller. When I get mad, and I can really get mad, I tend to shout, rant, and rave. I recognize this about myself and have tried very hard over the years to release my anger more productively. I don't know if it's worked entirely but I certainly hope I have a better handle on my anger than Ben in Randy Susan Meyers' newest novel, Accidents of Marriage does on his. Ben, a public defense lawyer, has an explosive temper and his family tiptoes around him, never knowing what is going to set him off. His wife Maddy, a social worker, takes prescription pills every day to take the edge off, to keep her own emotions under wraps for fear of triggering his, and to blunt the effect of his irrational eruptions. All three of the Illica children, Emma, Gracie, and Caleb, know that their father is extremely volatile and try not to provoke him either. Even when Ben isn't home, incidents like breaking a glass are weighed in light of his probable reaction. Theirs is not a terribly happy home. And it's about to get even worse. On a day when both Ben and Maddy have work commitments and things are already fraught between them because of the kids' schedules, Maddy gets pulled over and her car is towed for an expired registration. She calls Ben to rescue her from a rough part of town, which he grudgingly does. Then, because he is late, rushing, and angry, he gets caught in a driving contest with another driver on the wet Boston roads, losing control of the car in the pouring rain and crashing. Maddy is thrown from the car and ends up in a coma with a traumatic brain injury. If the days of waiting to see if Maddy would come out of the coma were tough, life afterwards is even tougher. Fourteen year old Emma has to take charge of her younger siblings, shouldering more responsibility than a young teenager should have to do, and feeling the injustice of every moment of it. Ben has to adjust to the wife who needs so much more than he's ever given her before and to his own slowly dawning understanding of his own culpability in the whole situation. Maddy is frustrated with her own slow progress and furious with blame as she tries to understand the kind of life that she wants to lead going forward. Ben, Maddy, and Emma all narrate sections of the novel, giving the reader insight into their personal understandings of the situation. Ben is likely to flare up at anything and he is definitely emotionally abusive but it is also made clear by the time we spend in his head that he does in fact love Maddy even if he doesn't acknowledge his own anger management issues. Maddy has so deadened herself in dealing with Ben's rages that she is teaching her children the wrong thing and when she finds out the truth about the accident that changed her life forever, she has some big decisions to make. Each of the three main characters is quite complex, neither entirely good nor entirely bad, allowing the reader to want this family to improve, for Ben's desire to change to be real, and for them to heal the gaping cracks. The pacing is generally slow and measured, much like Maddy's own recovery, sometimes slower and sometimes more accelerated. The end of the novel seems a bit abrupt and unfinished, again much like Maddy's recovery. But the portions about Maddy's injury and how she is healing, what her particular traumatic brain injury means in terms of now and the future is rather fascinating, and that it gives her the chance to remember, see, and own her past reality without a chemical veil obscuring everything brings the story to its climax. This is a thought-provoking family drama about injuries, physical and emotional, and whether or not a wreck is worth salvaging even if that wreck is your marriage and family
    • 4/5
      The issue of domestic violence is at the forefront of many conversations today, in part due to the horrific video of Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice knocking his fiancee out with a punch. Randy Susan Myers' timely novel Accidents of Marriage investigates what happens when a man who loses his temper too frequently finally loses control and it costs those he loves a great deal.Maddie is a social worker married to Ben, a public defender celebrated for his passion and intelligence in his work. He is looked up to by his colleagues and worshipped by his female intern. But Ben has a terrible temper, one that only his wife and three children- 14 year-old Emma, 9 year-old Gracie and 7 year-old Caleb- have seen up close.Ben verbally abuses his family and they live in fear of his outbursts, where he occasionally throws plates crashing into the wall. The slightest thing out of the ordinary- dirty dishes in the sink, clothes on the floor- send him into an uncontrollable rage.Funny thing about people who say they can't control their rage; they seem to be able to control it just fine at the office. They never scream at colleagues or clients; they save that for their family.Maddie has to call Ben to pick her up when her car gets towed for having an expired registration. Ben is late for a meeting, furious at Maddie for not taking care of the registration, and on a rain soaked road, he gets into a road rage incident and while speeding has an accident that leaves Maddie fighting for her life.Ben is injured, but Maddie is in a coma. Her family, her parents and sister Vanessa, who doesn't like Ben, are all there. The children are there too, but they are not allowed in the ICU area, so the three young children are in a separate waiting area- all alone.That really bugged me. There are several adults waiting, any one of whom could have gone and sat with these frightened children, who had no idea what was going on with their mother. The judgement of the adults in this situation left me dumbfounded. How could no one comfort those children?The story is told from three perspectives; Maddie, Ben and Emma all get to tell their stories. It is heartbreaking to see this family torn apart, and difficult to see Maddie try and put her life together after a serious traumatic brain injury. She has to start from the beginning and learn how to do everything from walking to talking to cooking, and her frustration comes through clearly on the page.Much of the day-to-day care of the house and the other children is left to Emma. Poor Emma gets overlooked, and so much is dumped into her lap, again without the adults thinking about how she is doing. I felt most deeply for Emma.Meyers does a wonderful job making us feel what this family is going through. Ben still has his anger issues, Maddie is trying to pick up the pieces of her life and figure out just what happened, and the children are struggling too. There is no miracle cure for Maddie, she must fight everyday and it exhausts her.The characters are realistic, and some even unlikable (and not just Ben, I didn't like Vanessa either). The Wednesday Blues Club, made up of women who live with domestic violence in their lives, is a support group that Maddie started in her job and when she returns after her injury, she has a new understanding and it causes her to rethink her own life choices.Accidents of Marriage is a terrific book club pick; there are so many meaty things to discuss in this book.
    • 4/5
      The many ways we use unhealthy ways or not to justify what we do in order to make our relationships work. Maddy is a social worker herself, mother to three children, loves her husband Ben but has made many excuses for him on why his temper is allowed to rule so much. Until the day when all the excuses no longer matter.I give the author much credit, she did not follow the happily ever after party line but instead gives the reader a no holds barred look at a family in crisis. The devastating effect on the children, and I so loved every single one of them, the long difficult road of recovery, of a family forever defined by what came before and what came after. A hard look at personal responsibility and how hard it is to change. Always there is hope though, it can be done, things will be hard, but it is possible to grab at a new healthy normal.ARC from publisher.
    • 5/5
      Wow! what an amazing read. The story is told through the eyes of several of the main characters. They are all members of the same family. Maddy and Ben are married professionals with three children. They face all the same problems and issues of today's families and more. The "more" is Ben's explosive and sometimes cruel and explosive bouts of anger. Maddy has managed for years to work around his anger and is pretty good at defusing the anger towards the children. However there has been a price to pay. For some reason I felt sympathy towards Ben throughout the whole book. He truly loves his wife and children...very much, in fact. It seems that no one has every tried to correct these bouts of anger and he seemingly has no idea how badly he is abusing those he loves. The book is very well written, the characters seem real with real world issues. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would LOVE a follow up book!**Good Reads Win
    • 5/5
      This novel is the story of a marriage and a family in trouble. The husband has severe anger management problems and the wife has learned to compensate by not upsetting him and by taking a few pills when needed to get through her days. His anger causes an accident that results in catastrophic brain injury to her. The accident bring the family dysfunction out of the shadows of their lives and shows how Ben's anger not only affected Maddy but also their three children. The novel is well told and the characters are very well developed. I felt like I knew them and I laughed and cried with them. This is the first book that I've read by this author and I plan to read her previous books based on my enjoyment of this book.
    • 4/5
      Yep, this just scrapes in at 4-star for me. Maybe it should be 3.75 stars. It seems to be definitely a cut above the standard American women's fiction genre....or whatever similar category you want to place it. On the negative side, I'd say that some of (all of?) the characters are a little leaning towards stereotypes, but I reckon Meyers does manage to give them enough reality that the story makes a unique contribution. Let's face it, American family life and threat to it is a well-trod path, and it's very hard to say something new. However I do think Meyers' focus on the 'accident' theme is an insightful perspective. I was very worried that she was going to finish the story in the worst possible way (i.e marriage is restored, they all live happily ever after) but Meyers also avoids that commercial imperative to just enough of an extent to leave both me moderately satisfied, and also her publisher hearing the distinctive sound of cash registers ringing up sales. I'm certainly not putting Randy Susan Meyers on my 'favorites' list, but having been somewhat disappointed with another of her works (The Comfort of Lies), I am happy enough to leave her third book (The Murderer's Daughters) on my To Read list.
    • 4/5
      I liked this "domestic thriller" after it got rolling. The beginning - two parents, two jobs, three kids - fairly typical. The aftermath of a devastating car accident brings high drama and dudgeon. Husband and wife have been basically stumbling along the highway to stressful hell, as long time, settled marriages will do -until the husband's selfish actions finally topple the shaky house of cards. Particularly well written are the sections from the PoV of the teenage daughter. The wife and husband's inner monologues are also true to the situation. Siblings and in-laws complete the picture of what could absolutely happen down the block of a white middle class neighborhood, yours or mine, if you live a suburban life like mine.A good read with a satisfyingly open-ended conclusion.
    • 3/5
      I received an ARC through Goodreads.
      ---
      For the most part I enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to see things from Maddy, Ben and Emma's point of view.

      An interesting story of how one accident changed the lives of everyone. You can feel the characters lash out, their emotional state of mind and struggling to come to terms with everything. Emotional abuse and what is borderline physical assault is what Ben regularly dishes out, leaving Maddy and the family to tip toe around him, before and for the most part after the accident. Maddy as a social worker usually deal with similar situations at work yet she shuts her eye at what is happening in her own home, thinking that it's just a one time thing and he's still a good man.

      One thing I didn't like was how one dimensional and forgettable most of the secondary characters are. Like we are suddenly introduced to the extended family and I keep getting the characters mixed up because they aren't memorable.

      Another thing, while we do get to see both Maddy and Ben's side of the story, I didn't like either of them. Actually for the most part I didn't like Ben's character much at all, he started off as a little egotistical but busy and somewhat decent guy...until his anger surfaced. And Maddy, she seems like a lovely person trying to help her clients/patients out while trying to keep harmony at home, but I didn't like how docile she was and passive around Ben. After the accident though, I did feel for her and liked her better while she tried hard to make progress with her recovery.

      I did like how the ending wasn't a total cliche. Of course I want Maddy and Ben to stay married after everything that they have been through, but I totally understand and applaud Maddy for making a stand and wanting Ben to actually work on his anger management and focus more on others not just solely on himself and also for wanting to be independent on working towards getting herself back on her feet What happens after the book ends, leaves us the readers to decide, but I like that a glimmer of hope exists for the family.
    • 3/5
      I just finished Accidents of Marriage. I gave it three stars because "I liked it" but I did not really love it. This was a story that was both sad and lightly touched on emotional abuse.Maddy is a working mom of 3 children. Her husband Ben struggles with controlling his anger and lashes out and yells quite a bit. Then one day, while Ben is driving with Maddy as the passenger, he gets road rage and has an accident that leaves Maddy with a brain injury.The story is then focused on the family and the aftermath. The oldest daughter is now in charge of raising her siblings during mom's very slow recovery. She feels neglected, Ben vows to never take Maddy for granted, but no one seems to believe him anymore and Maddy is frustrated at her transformation.The story ends also without any clear resolution as to what will happen. It was a good story, but a little too depressing and I wasn't too happy with the either Maddy or Ben's character. I received a complimentary copy for review as part of the Goodreads giveaway program.
    • 5/5
      A special thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a complimentary ARC.

      Randy Susan Myers’ ACCIDENTS OF MARRIAGE, a bittersweet account of a complex marriage relationship, derailed by dishonesty, emotional abuse, and rage—A tragedy forces one dysfunctional family to reexamine their lives, face their fears, and accept responsibility for their actions, before healing can begin.

      The Illica Boston family is a ticking time bomb waiting to ignite. (A broken corporation, Illica Sucks, Inc). The pressure mounts daily and has built up with fifteen years of crap. Something has to happen in order for a change to occur and release the pressure.

      Maddy, a social worker, a busy wife and mother, is trying to balance her career, and three children (Emma 14, Gracie 9, Caleb 7), while taking pills in order to cope, and live with Ben, her high strung, angry, controlling, verbally and emotionally abusive narcissistic husband. Brilliant, handsome and charming, Ben could turn into a raging bull when crossed—and despite her training as a social worker Maddy is never sure what would set him off on a rampage.

      A family turns into competitions for time, daily emotional battles, and aggressive behavior. As the pressures mount, and tempers flare, shattered dreams erupt for a final explosion—as it trickles down, even to the children’s behavior and reactions—an accident driven by a short fuse, forces this family to face the truths, where nothing will be the same, with devastating consequences. When recovery means more than just facing physical injuries, and a marriage becomes too broken to be repaired.

      Told from three different POVs (Maddy, Ben, Emma), Myers creates a poignant, and compelling detailed account of an ordinary family, and its downward spiral—for a heartbreaking tale with well-developed, flawed and realistic characters. Filled with intensity, a deeply moving gripping story; a psychological look inside this family tragedy —with great insight into the human complexities of life, written with compassion, while laced with wit and humor, for an engaging page-turner!

      This was my first book by Randy Susan Myers’, and enjoyed her sharp writing style and look forward to reading her previous books! Fans of Jane Green, Amy Hatvany, Lisa Genova, Diane Chamberlain, and Liane Moriarty will enjoy this thought-provoking family drama of love unraveled, and life’s messiness.

      Quotes I liked:

      “The ideal man. Bears the accidents of life with. Dignity and grace. Making the best of circumstances. That’s Aristotle. I copied it. From Zelda’s office. I so wanted to be. Dignified and graceful. But now I know. How could I? I didn’t have an accident. Of life. It was. An accident of marriage.“

      “We can’t be waiting for someone to hand us respect, for a man to make us feel good, as though we’re puppies waiting to have our bellies patted. Happiness comes from a whole lotta different places. A man’s love is just one piece of that huge cake. And even harder? You gotta bake that damn cake yourself.”

    • 5/5
      This was my first book by Randy Susan Meyers and it was excellent. It’s about Maddy, a social worker with a husband, children and career, and her husband, Ben, a public defender, who is controlling and, I think, verbally abusive. He punches things, but not his family, luckily. Maddy does not share her family drama and most people think they have the perfect marriage. The book is about the lies and secrets in this family. I think Maddy is in denial, even though her work deals with abusive relationships! The book goes back and forth between the two of them and their 14-year old daughter, Emma – told in the three different points of view of what is happening. Maddy takes pills to deal with her husband’s moods and Emma is starting to act out, as her way of coping.

      One day Maddy and Ben are in the car together (he’s driving) and it’s raining and they get in an argument and, due to Ben’s road rage, they are involved in a horrible accident. Ben is injured but basically okay, but Maddy ends up in a coma with a brain injury. Ben is devastated and guilty and tries to change his ways and devotes his time and energy to Maddy. Meanwhile, his children (there are also two younger ones), especially Emma, are suffering, and Emma’s narrations are heart-wrenching over how she is affected by all that has happened and is happening.

      This book is emotional, thought-provoking, sad, hopeful, real, contemporary, and so well-written. It would be a good book club discussion book. I was not expecting the ending, but it was perfect. This book will stay with me for a while, I am sure.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book I have read by this author. The topic intrigued me as I have some experience with people with anger management issues. I liked the style of writing—easy to read, nice flow. The main characters were well-developed. Some of the supporting characters were less developed but still fairly well written. The alternating perspectives of Maddy, Ben, and Emma were easy to follow. You could easily get the sense of what each of these characters were having to deal with in the aftermath of the accident. Maddy was fighting for survival. Her frustration at not being able to function as she had was readily apparent. Ben had to deal with his guilt of causing the accident in the first place. Then his loyalties to his family were tested. Emma was a young teen girl forced to put her life on hold in order to care for her younger siblings. Her resentment was appropriate. The younger siblings Gracie and Caleb were well-portrayed, in my opinion. Then, of course, there were the meddling in-laws. I am not sure the interfaith marriage angle added much to the story. The part I had difficulty accepting was how Ben had such an anger management problem but then seemed to be “cured” by his guilt over the accident. Someone who can get as violent as him does not just suddenly start controlling his/her temper without help. Overall though, it was a good read.