Wild Game

My Mother, Her Secret, and Me

By: Adrienne Brodeur

Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Adrienne Brodeur

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

A daughter’s tale of living in the thrall of her magnetic, complicated mother, and the chilling consequences of her complicity.  

On a hot July night on Cape Cod when Adrienne was 14, her mother, Malabar, woke her at midnight with five simple words that would set the course of both of their lives for years to come: Ben Souther just kissed me.    

Adrienne instantly became her mother’s confidante and helpmate, blossoming in the sudden light of her attention, and from then on, Malabar came to rely on her daughter to help orchestrate what would become an epic affair with her husband’s closest friend. The affair would have calamitous consequences for everyone involved, impacting Adrienne’s life in profound ways, driving her into a precarious marriage of her own, and then into a deep depression. Only years later will she find the strength to embrace her life - and her mother - on her own terms.    

Wild Game is a brilliant, timeless memoir about how the people close to us can break our hearts simply because they have access to them, and the lies we tell in order to justify the choices we make. It’s a remarkable story of resilience, a reminder that we need not be the parents our parents were to us.

Cover design by Christopher Moisan

©2019 Adrienne Brodeur (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

Rich People Behaving Badly

First of all, if Julia Whelan reads it, listen to it. Even this lump of a memoir.

Adrienne Brodeur, old-money wealthy, daughter of the Mayflower, educated at private schools designed to keep the ultra rich kids away from the just-folks kids, presents us with a recounting of her mother's 12-year affair with her stepfather's best friend. Brodeur's mother chooses her only daughter (14 when the affair begins) as a confidante and co-conspirator. By book's end, there are divorces, promises made and promises broken, confusing and contradictory descriptionis of attempts at self-discovery, mental illness, tantrums, petulance, and a whole lot of butter.
It is difficult to empathize with this incredibly priveleged young woman who spends a gap year lazing about in Maui, drops boyfriends like old Sperry Topsiders, grows up in an 11-bedroom house but declares her 500 sq. ft. solo apartment in Manhattan "cozy." She describes the horror of living in a busy Murray Hill neighborhood, next door to a take-out Indian restaurant, but guess what!? She luuvvvvvvvvvs it. It's so much better than Being Rich, right?

I am sorry that Ms. Brodeur had a less-than emotionally perfect childhood. Many of us do. One hopes that a memoir reveals truths, complexities of relationships, perspective. Brodeur hands us tired excuses for bad behavior, and a plodding "one thing after another" pace. She conveniently ignores her brother and step-siblings and other extended family, who might have had interesting opinions to offer. By the final chapter I was begging for this family visit to end. The most interesting part of listening to WIld Game was the quick bit of research I did on my own to figure out just who Brodeur is, and who her high society parents and stepparents really were. Her lineage may be impressive, but "Rennie," as she is called by her family, spends a good deal of time stamping her foot and wanting it NOW!

Don't worry, a movie is in the works. Of course.

You can't make this stuff up!

Not since Alexandra Fuller have I read such a riveting read. I don't want to put it down and I do not want the book to end. When I first read the review on Wild Game, prior to it's release on Audible, I have had this on pre-order. I was not disappointed.

Fans of Fuller's 'Don't Lets Go To The Dogs Tonight' and 'Cocktail Hour Under The Tree of Forgiveness' will love this memoir. Brodeur's book is ever bit as riveting. As I listen all I can think of, and I am not a movie goer, being an avid reader 'listener' is that this book has GOT to be made into a movie.

Although I have nearly 400 titles in my Audible library, I think this is the first Julia Whelan narrated book I have listened to. I think I have found a new favorite narrator. There is never any confusion about which character is speaking. Julia makes them all come alive. I particularly loved how she portrayed Malabar.

Wild Game

Not for me.
While the story was very sad for the daughter of a very disturbed, inappropriate mother, it just wasn't a book that would hold my interest. Maybe the mother's behavior just made me feel angry.

Self absorbed, unfulfilled but captivating

Self absorbed, unfulfilling and totally captivating
Many memoirs fall into the same traps, but few are quite this enthralling. Of course it’s self absorbed, memoir writing is by definition, and this one is about a particular class of those most fortunate who display no noticeable gratitude. Still, everyone shares some of that, nobody is innocent. Unfulfilled because like many a memoir, the author never points the pen at themselves, and we are denied the same exposure she shines on others of herself. Captivating as it begins with the best gossip ever (I kissed my husband’s best friend!) and never let’s you escape the grip of a half century of intrigue and the search for the meaning of love. I loved it, even, like gossip, when I thought there was something better I should be doing with my time.

A new favorite!!

Every so often I like to take a break from my typical book preference of fiction and/or suspense and instead listen/read a memoir or non fiction. But I am very picky and if it’s not immediately captivating I am bored and will find myself searching for a new book. The Glass Castle really started my love for dysfunctional family memoirs or incredible stories of survival against all odds. This one does not disappoint!!! You won’t be able to stop listening! And as always Julia Whelan hit it out of the park. Don’t let the summary fool you, this book isn’t just your run of the mill marital affair story! This is something else! And it’s a winner!!

Unputdownable!

This unforgettable memoir is written like fiction and kept me listening all day! Each character has both superpowers and flaws and the storyline has you laughing one minute, deeply reflecting the next, and feeling anger toward one of the characters moments later. Knowing that this is a memoir and it is real life caused me to empathize with each of the characters in different ways. The narrator does a great job and i think she also narrated Educated by Tara Westover. Overall, I would put this on my top 5 of the year. It offers insights into life and human behavior that is reminiscent of a modern-day work of Shakespeare.

Maybe the problem is it was oversold

An interesting enough memoir. Felt like something written for a workshop or a literary magazine. The writing was great, but the story itself had very little meat. I'm sure writing it helped the author work through her issues, but it wasn't really "unforgettable" or "wild" for the reader.

Adolescent reading

This is a good book for an adolescent or you adult searching for personal or ethnic identity. This is not a good read for an older adult.

Being a Great Cook Does Not Make A Great Mother

I am definitely in the minority in my opinion, based on reading other reviews of this book. I am uncertain why I even finished listening to the book. It was repetitive and spent many pages describing the author's mother's cooking capabilities. I would not recommend this book to my friends.

The kind of book you want to savour

I didn’t want it to end.
This was a beautiful story.
It read like fiction. I literally couldn’t stop listening.
Thank You Adrienne Brodeur for being so open in telling the story of your long, complicated life and how your life and love was so influenced and so tangled up in your mother. What is it with Mothers and daughters!?? I could fully and wholeheartedly relate.