A Beautiful Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal by Jen Waite

A Beautiful Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal by Jen Waite– 272 pages

Book Blurb:

What do you do when you discover that the person you’ve built your life around never existed? When “it could never happen to me” does happen to you? These are the questions facing Jen Waite when she begins to realize that her loving husband–the father of her infant daughter, her best friend, the love of her life–fits the textbook definition of psychopath. In a raw, first-person account, Waite recounts each heartbreaking discovery, every life-destroying lie, and reveals what happens once the dust finally settles on her demolished marriage.
After a disturbing email sparks Waite’s suspicion that her husband is having an affair, she tries to uncover the truth and rebuild trust in her marriage. Instead, she finds more lies, infidelity, and betrayal than she could have imagined. Waite obsessively analyzes her relationship, trying to find a single moment from the last five years that isn’t part of the long-con of lies and manipulation. With a dual-timeline narrative structure, we see Waite’s romance bud, bloom, and wither simultaneously, making the heartbreak and disbelief even more affecting.

My Review: 3.5 stars

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A Beautiful Terrible Thing was a distressing ride through the author’s life. As the book began, I mistakenly thought that Waite’s husband was going to be a serial killer, not a loving husband or a doting son. Was he crazy on some level? Yes. Was he a philanderer and liar? Yes. Does that constitute sociopath or psychopath? I’m not sure.

Either way, this story is addictive probably because Jen is so normal and relatable. Although when she becomes somewhat stalkish, she lost a chunk of her relatability. I enjoyed the “Before” and “After” structure of her novel because it made the book read like her relationship with Marco – a rollercoaster of emotion and never sure when the next turn was. Once you get hooked into the whirlwind of Jen & Marco’s relationship, you can’t stop. You can recognize how bad it’s going to be, but still, you must tag along, Basically, it’s akin to rubbernecking at a train wreck, you just can’t help yourself.

My only complaints: the textbook diagnosis by a therapist who never even met Marco and that the author wrote this book so soon after her divorce. She may have a different perspective after more time has passed, however I’m sure it was cathartic to write it now. I admit to Googling both Jen and Marco to learn more about them, so I definitely became vested in her situation.

Overall, If you’re looking for a fast read that reads a bit like a thriller, for sure pick this up.