The Mad Wife

by Meagan Church

Narrated by Susan Bennett

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Pub Date Nov 04 2025 | Archive Date Nov 12 2025

RBmedia | Recorded Books

Historical Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers | Women's Fiction

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Description

From bestselling author Meagan Church comes a haunting exploration of identity, motherhood, and the suffocating grip of societal expectations that will leave you questioning the lives we build—and the lies we live.

They called it hysteria. She called it survival.

Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the perfect 1950s housewife. Despite the tragic memories that haunt her and the weight of exhausting expectations, she keeps her husband happy, her household running, and her gelatin salads the talk of the neighborhood. But after she gives birth to her second child, Lulu's carefully crafted life begins to unravel.

When a new neighbor, Bitsy, moves in, Lulu suspects that something darker lurks behind the woman's constant smile. As her fixation on Bitsy deepens, Lulu is drawn into a web of unsettling truths that threaten to expose the cracks in her own life. The more she uncovers about Bitsy, the more she questions everything she thought she knew—and soon, others begin questioning her sanity. But is Lulu truly losing her mind? Or is she on the verge of discovering a reality too terrifying to accept?

In the vein of The Bell Jar and The Hours, The Mad Wife weaves domestic drama with psychological suspense, so poignant and immersive, you won't want to stop listening.

Advance Praise

"The Mad Wife is a gripping and heart-wrenching portrait of a 1950s housewife at her wits end, struggling with the alienation and claustrophobia of midcentury suburban life. In this one-sitting read, Church offers unforgettable characters, a beautiful window into life in the Fifties, and a stirring tribute to the strength of women. This should be at the top of every book club’s list this fall." — Ashley Winstead, USA Today-bestselling author of This Book Will Bury Me

"In a world where a woman can attain local fame for her Jello salads, what wife dares to complain that a dishwasher isn’t the gift of her dreams? A rigid version of suburban propriety haunts the women of The Mad Wife, with their private griefs and their public smiles. But just when you think you know exactly what’s going on, Meagan Church slips the area rug out from under you, and tumbles you into a new understanding of the ways love can surprise you." — Mimi Herman, author of The Kudzu Queen

"A gripping portrait of 1950s suburbia with a sinister undercurrent, this novel peels back the manicured lawns and perfect smiles to reveal the secrets we bury—and the strength it takes to unearth them. A haunting, hopeful tale of resilience, reckoning, and the redemptive power of truth." — Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Amalfi Curse