{My Thoughts}
I often find it difficult to fairly review a memoir. After all, a persons life is their truth and why do I have a right to have any opinions about it? So let’s delay a little longer and start with the writing. Brodeur is excellent. Her complicated life story unfolds easily and eloquently.

“Malabar was falling in love and she’d picked me as her confidante, a role I hadn’t realized I’d longed for until that moment. Perhaps this would be a good thing.”

I enjoyed Wild Game very much, just not quite as much as I’d expected. Even while completely captivated by Adrienne’s story of growing up as the confidante and accessory to her mother’s long running affair, I couldn’t help being repelled by her mother. Malabar definitely read like fiction. She rapidly moved from one selfish move to another with little concern for those left in her wake. Rennie obviously craved her mother’s love and approval so desperately that for many years she was willing to do anything to help her mother keep her affair under wraps.

“For better or worse, that was who Malabar was to me, the most central and important person in my life, even if I wished it were otherwise. For as long as her love affair had been going on, for me, the “we” had always been my mother and me. Not Ben and Malabar. If Ben was everything to my mother, then what was I?”

No doubt about it, this book is compelling, always keeping me stunned, amazed, and a little sad. Perhaps because it did read like fiction, I became anxious for Rennie to pull away from her mother and find herself much sooner than she did. I wanted her to be free! Brodeur’s journey was no one’s but her own and despite sometimes feeling almost complicit for being on it with her, it’s a memoir I’ll long remember.

Immediately engrossed in this story, I devoured it in a matter of hours. Through the story of Adrienne and her complicated relationship with her Mother, we learn many dynamic truths about the nature of human relationships and interactions of all kinds. Though heart-breaking, this story is fascinating as it weaves true tales of scandal and secrets for several decades. I encourage you to get lost in this story and hopefully you will discover some truth of yourself along the way!

What an a riveting memoir!

The relationship between a mother and a daughter is intricate and complex at it’s core, but wow, in regards to Adrienne Brodeur’s connection with her mother Malabar, saying it’s intricate and complex is a massive understatement! Adrienne (Rennie) pens a very candid history of their relationship which at the age of 14 moved from a parent/child role to a friendship role. When Adrienne was 14, Malabar confides to Adrienne about an affair between Malabar and her husband’s (Adrienne’s step-father) best friend. Not only does she swear Adrienne to secrecy, she regularly asks for advice and help to cover-up the affair. Throughout Wild Game, Adrienne does a great job with recalling her teenage perspective of her situation and then ultimately realizing through her now adult eyes what had actually happened. I also found it enlightening how Adrienne goes one step further to let us know how Malabar’s childhood and upbringing most likely shaped her into the person she became.

Wild Game takes us from the 14 year old who desperately wants to please her mother all the way to how she dealt with the trauma and healed as an adult. This novel is so very candid and raw, I commend Adrienne Brodeur for her honestly and bravery! Wild Game is a 5 star novel that I think would make a fantastic book club selection!

I feared that reading this memoir was going to make me feel like the worst type of voyeur—that reading the details of the affair at the center of this story would be uncomfortable at best and tawdry at worst.

But the story was ultimately more about an emotionally stunted mother, her codependence on her adolescent daughter, and how the author unraveled the many smothering ties to the woman whose conditional love and affection directed her life for too many years.

Brodeur is a measured writer who thoughtfully considers her youth, her infatuation with and reliance on her mother (who throughout her life is only concerned with her own impulses and desires), and how her own eventual personal growth drove a rift between her and the mother she idolized that changed everything forever.

Really interesting and a quick, engrossing read.

I was given a copy of this book by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

How could this story of a mother and daughter's complicated and dysfunctional relationship be so compelling? I read this book in one sitting, completely unputdownable,

Many thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the ARC of Wild Game! I love a good memoir, and this did not disappoint. The story is enthralling, and reads like fiction. It centers around Rennie and the secret love affair that her mother, Malabar, has with a close friend. As a teen, Rennie is involved in helping keep the affair a secret and becomes a confidant to her mother. Wanting to please the mother she idolizes, Rennie keeps the secret from her friends and family, and it has lasting impacts on her emotional and mental state.

I was appalled at Malabar's behavior over the years and her selfishness. I was almost in disbelief at how she valued her love life above her relationship with her daughter, and how she acted cruelly towards Rennie when things did not go as planned.

The writing of this book was superb, and I flew through it. I loved the literary references in the final chapters, and how Rennie found solace in novels as she dealt with her depression.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good drama!

Adrienne Brodeur has written a remarkable, fascinating and really quite shocking memoir about her relationship with her mother and the resulting consequences to her own life and health. As I was reading this I felt like I was reading a story. How could a mother treat her daughter so badly - involving her in such lies and cover ups that they affected her health. And treating her like a friend and a confidant when she was just a child is just so heartbreaking that I could feel her anguish at times. The book is written with honesty and compassion and is highly recommended.

After thinking about this for a little while and reading my review, I sound so judgmental of Malabar when, in fact, she is the product of her own upbringing but didn’t know how to help herself. My heart goes out to Ms. Brodeur who was able to write an honest account of her turbulent life but I as the reader understand that she loved her mother every step of the way.
PS. I’d love to know if you ever got the necklace appraised:)

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

“Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me,” by Adrienne Brodeur is a fascinating memoir about a daughter and her mother and the unhealthy dynamic between them. We get our first glimpse of their relationship the night that Malabar, Adrienne’s mother, wakes 14-year-old Adrienne to tell her, “Ben Souther just kissed me!” Ben Souther was the best friend of Malabar’s husband! What would Adrienne do? And why would she do it? What will the fate of this family be? From the first page to the last, I was completely riveted by this colorful and memorable family and their complicated relationships.

The setting of “Wild Game” was part of the novel’s charm. Cape Cod has a mystique all its own. Malabar’s dishes from the sea to the table would rival any gourmet’s and captured my imagination throughout the novel. As a mother, I couldn’t help but wonder how another mother could be so blind to the position she had put her daughter in. Would Adrienne ever wrestle free of the power Malabar seemed to have over her? If so, when?

One thing about ‘Wild Game” that I especially appreciated, was the conscience of the author. She was keenly aware of the feelings of the other characters and how her actions would affect them. This wasn’t a novel about blame but rather it was one about healing. How do we move beyond the inadequacies of our origins to a place where we are healthy and whole?

While the subject matter of “Wild Game” is mature, there is no explicit sex or vulgar language to make one blush. I highly recommend “Wild Game” to readers who are interested in reading about complex family relationships and characters with strong loyalties. Memoir readers will love it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with a copy of “Wild Game” in exchange for an honest review.”

I found this book interesting, but a bit boring at parts. I did like hearing about how the authors past experiences shaped her views on adulthood.

ALL THE stars. Absolutely loved this book! The story flows, the characters are fascinating and I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.

I am so grateful to have read this book. While my relationship with my mother is nothing like the relationship in this book, I was captivated and in love with this story. A beautiful memoir filled with hope under tough circumstances.

I didn’t expect to love or even finish this memoir; I was unsure what to read next and randomly chose it from a stack of NetGalley ARCs on my Kindle. From the first page, I was hooked.

Brodeur explores the delicate ways that emotional boundaries are dismissed and destroyed between narcissistic mothers and their daughters. Thanks to technology, I was able to highlight passage upon passage about a mother’s self-absorption, a daughter’s perfectionism that leads to depression, and the ways in which literature lifts us out of our own lives so we can decide who we really want to be.

Although a memoir, this novel reads like a novel, drawing you in and holding you until you finish it at 2 a.m. and wish you could erase it from your memory, just so you can devour it all over again.

I pre-ordered this book to keep on my shelf, and you should, too. Brodeur’s writing is simply perfect. I am in awe and that’s all I can say. Thank you for my new favorite book.

A beautifully written memoir about how mother-daughter dynamics and seemingly small decisions can leave lasting impacts on our lives and everyone around us. I loved Adrienne Brodeur’s clear, direct writing style. It took me a few chapters to get into her straightforward flow, but I found myself completely swallowed into Rennie and Malabar’s world. This was a great immersive read for me with its beautiful descriptions of succulent 5-star meals, New England sophistication, and Southern California summers. Wild Game is a well-rounded memoir that will go on my faves list for 2019. Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for allowing me the opportunity to read this story early, all opinions are my own.

This will be a great book group read. The subject alone would lead to many opinions. Even though I really kind of hated all of the characters, I can’t wait to hear what other people think!

Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur is a memoir that details the complicated and dysfunctional relationship Brodeur experienced with her mother, Malabar. This cycle spans several decades and although there is the storyline of how Brodeur became entangled in her mother's affair, it wasn't the most powerful part of this book for me.

What really spoke to me was how much this story shared the challenges of cycles repeating themselves in families. These complexities can continue to pass on generation after generation and Wild Game truly shows how hard dysfunction can be to break. The writing detailing how she confronted her past is raw and full of emotions and whether you can relate to this story or not, this is not a book to be missed.

Brodeur shares vividly, the complexities of their mother/daughter relationship and how it has affected her from her childhood to now during middle-age. Whether it is in romantic relationships or the relationships she has with her own children, it heavily impacts her to this day.

Brodeur reflects so honestly about how challenging it was as she began to distance herself from Malabar as an adult. While she knew her relationship wasn't "normal" or healthy, it was hard not to fall back into the paths which had been ingrained in her family for so long.

While this book wasn't easy to read at times, I appreciated that it wasn't black or white and Brodeur is able to look at this deeply conflicted relationship with humanity and empathy. I stopped and reread sections of the book because the reflections on the journey of finding herself while batting the undercurrent of her family dynamics were so insightful.

I also appreciated that she recounted the impact the other people in her life had had on her and her ability to move forward. Brodeur's ability to share such introspection and poignant details amidst the difficulties she endured made this book what it was and it won't be one I will ever forget.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

There is nothing like a book with a craptasic mother to make me feel like I’m not doing so bad after all.

Malabar, the woman you’ll love to hate.

Full review to follow!

Adrienne Brodeur is a gifted and talented writer, she had me captivated, not by the storyline, but by her storytelling. Many times I stopped, reread, reflected, and tried to remember her quotes and phrases so brilliantly composed.

Her biography is a sad tale filled with honest raw emotion. She describes her lifelong adoration and loyalty towards her selfish, self centered mother. We often hear about different types of injustices imposed on children, but honestly, I always expect better from the more privileged. Her mother lived a mostly charmed, privileged life and her selfishness was limitless without boundaries. Rules were for other people. It is a tragic realization to see the damage done by the thoughtlessness of another.

Drama, love, support, and serious family dysfunction are all part of her story that spans several decades. Excellent read. You’ll love her descriptions of life on the Cape, the sites, sounds and smells become brilliantly alive. Yes, she’s that talented a writer. Hurry and get for your copy.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an ARC of this exquisite book.

After finishing up Small Fry I wasn't sure I was ready for another memoir but I'm glad I took the leap on this one. I do believe fans of Glass Castle and Educated would enjoy this although this isn't exactly the success story of overcoming against all odds kind of story but rather an inside view to a dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship.

The story centers around a daughter who becomes entangled in her mother's affair with her step-fathers friend. And how her mother's actions will impact her life and her future relationships. This was a honest, painful telling of her story. As a mother myself I found the story utterly fascinating as I can't even begin to imagine involving my own daughter in something something so scandalous and essentially inflicting emotional abuse when I should be the one protecting her.

Thank you NetGalley & Houghton Miffin and Harcourt for the ARC for an honest review.

This is a memoir about the complicated relationship between a mother and a daughter. The writer does a remarkable job telling the story of a mother’s selfish needs and manipulative words used to enlist her daughter in a long affair. The consequences of her actions and the effects it is has on the life of her daughter and many others are examined by the author. Was her mom also a victim of her mother? Will she finally be able to break free of her mom’s hold? I feel this is a very honest portrayal of her life and the role she also played in the deception. Great read! #wildgame #adriennebrodeur #netgalley

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC copy of Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur. Wild Game is a stunningly well-written memoir of a daughter who becomes unwillingly complicit in her mother's illicit affair. Adrienne is 14 years old when her married mother, Malabar, confides in her that she's been kissed by a married family friend, Ben. Adrienne and Malabar are very close, with Adrienne believing that she is the person her mother loves most in the world. Both Malabar and Ben have spouses with serious health issues, making their affair even more of a betrayal. They vow not leave their spouses for one another - basically until death do they part - while they carry on in hotel rooms, a cottage on Malabar's family getaway and more. Malabar uses her daughter to help arrange the meetings, leading her into the lies that she tells her spouse, Charles. The long-lasting amount of psychological abuse and manipulation by her mother eventually leads Adrienne to experience difficulty in her own relationships. There are twists and shockingly unbelievable turns in the course of Adrienne's young adult life and early adult years. I feel very fortunate to have received this ARC and to have been able to experience such a fine piece of writing and hope to see more by Adrienne Brodeur.