A fierce look at narcissism and why women stay in bad relationships

“If you ever wondered why women stay with narcissistic partners, have I got the book recommendation for you.

I listened to Kate’s audiobook while I was traveling. I was immediately hooked by her story. Even though I knew Charlie’s bad behavior was going to create some major catastrophes, she writes him so seductively that I fell in love with her early descriptions of him. Then she kept me hooked with all the ways he gas lit the narrator and all the way the narrator gaslit herself in an attempt to keep per promise: 2 marriages okay, 2 divorces no way.

While we eventually see Charlie’s bad behavior for what it is, Kate doesn’t let the narrator off the hook. She explores her own motives, the way the past informed her choices, and the problems we create for ourselves when we ignore our intuition.

There are so many great things I can say about Kate’s work, but I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the quality of the writing. Her gripping scenes about the narrator’s brutal rape, her moments of grace, the godforsaken Portland rain, and the triumphant moment when she destroys her sinister Frigidaire Flare will have you feeling all the feels. She nails her emotional beats, and the seeds she plants early on bear very satisfying fruit later hit her story. I did a little happy dance as I cheered my way through her ending which is simultaneously uplifting and so artfully done.”

-Lisa Ellison