MAD WIFE

Powerful postmortem of an abusive marriage.

Deconstructing the hetero-patriarchy that buttressed her toxic relationship is a weighty and confusing task, yet Hamilton does it with aplomb in this literary memoir. She does not ask for the reader’s pity as she dissects her dangerous marriage to a now ex-husband and the betrayal of those who did not believe her. How does the patriarchy uphold standards that support and normalize abuse like this? Hamilton both asks and answers that question in her honest and eye-opening story. Once readers dive into her unvarnished account , it is not easy to continue yet equally impossible to stop. Hamilton’s prose is cutting, uncomfortable, and heartbreaking. In her opening pages she asks, “Who is the monster here?” after detailing a violent outburst by her husband. She uses this thread to dissect patriarchal views that give more grace and understanding to men, even those who have proven to be brutal and cruel, and none to the women who endure their cruelty. At times, the tonal shift from intense memory recall to academic analysis can feel like being wrenched from the deep end of a pool of emotions into a lecture hall as Hamilton goes beyond personal experience to tackle the world that allowed her suffering to continue. “I am clear in my own mind that I do not tell this story to humiliate or wound,” she states. “I am trying to do something much less petty and more important: to make visible the ways in which misogyny shapes relationships, culture, and the legal system.” Hamilton calls upon feminist authors such as Kate Chopin, Maria Carmen Machado, and Angela Carter to find her footing within her emotions. Untangling the complex threads of her narrative is no easy task, but it’s worth the effort.

Reflection and honesty that will move readers to sorrow, rage, and introspection.