Madwoman

By: Chelsea Bieker

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

“The rare kind of book that lives in your bones” (Ashley Audrain), this novel tells a gripping story of motherhood and motherloss and the brutal, mighty things women do to keep themselves and each other alive, marking the arrival of a major fiction talent.

The world is not made for mothers.

Yet mothers made the world…

Clove has gone to extremes to keep her past a secret. Thanks to her lies, she’s landed the life of her dreams, complete with a safe husband and two adoring children who will never know the terror that was routine in her own childhood. If her buried anxiety threatens to breach the surface, Clove (if that is really her name) focuses on finding the right supplement, the right gratitude meditation.

But when she receives a letter from a women’s prison in California, her past comes screeching into the present, entangling her in a dangerous game with memory and the people she thought she had outrun. As we race between her precarious present-day life in Portland, Oregon and her childhood in a Waikiki high-rise with her mother and father, Clove is forced to finally unravel the defining day of her life. How did she survive that day, and what will it take to end the cycle of violence? Will the truth undo her, or could it ultimately save her?

©2024 Chelsea Bieker (P)2024 Little, Brown & Company

Critic reviews

“Madwoman is brilliant. The rare kind of book that lives in your bones, as riveting as it is intimate. This is emotional suspense at its best, but it's also a chronicle of modern womanhood, an exploration of what mothers and daughters do to and for each other, and an ode to hope in the aftermath of trauma. Somehow, Bieker delivers all of this in a voice that is fresh, urgent, and darkly comic. A novel hasn't consumed me like this in a very long time. Madwoman is on my list of all-time favorites.”—Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push and The Whispers

"One of the most essential books about domestic violence I've ever read—MADWOMAN is a breathtaking adventure, a fun house, a house of horrors, and ultimately, a love letter. Chelsea Bieker will break your heart and stun your senses. Chilling, satirical, and grip-your-seat daring, Bieker is a marvel, peerless in her storytelling; you won’t be able to turn away from this book, not even for a second."—T KIRA MADDEN, author of LONG LIVE THE TRIBE OF FATHERLESS GIRLS

“MADWOMAN lives at that harrowing edge where despair and violence collide. A story of deceit, delusion, love, and terror, this novel is a scream at dawn, an impossible-to-forget story told by an author whose work I will now forever adore.”—RACHEL LOUISE SNYDER, author of WOMEN WE BURIED, WOMEN WE BURNED and NO VISIBLE BRUISES

AMAZING!

I know that the Book-of-the-Month club was trying to get into the theme of being kind of Halloweenish, but this book was absolutely amazing and it was so far from anything to do with fall field or Halloween. It was truth, telling heart wrenching River riveting and genuinely something that women can definitely identify if you’ve been in an abusive relationship this was incredible. Thank you for this!

Madwoman!

This story is so well written. The details of Clove’s past, make you feel like you are there with her. I never saw the twist coming that involved Jane! Chelsea wrote a great story!

This story.. *chefs kiss 🤌🏻

Complete and utterly amazing! Loved loved this book, I went into it blind and honestly I think that’s the best choice. If you like Gillian Flynn books I think you’ll like this one.

Long and just ok

This story could have taken half the time. It’s ok only. Very frustrating to listen through

Relevent

People handle domestic abuse in so many different ways. This is a daughter and a mother's completely different views. Very interesting read.

Dragged…much too long…eventually finished.

Was very excited for this novel when it was released. But I couldn’t stay hooked into the story and it took me a long time to get through. It didn’t grip me like I had hoped.

Forget It ends with us, this is the DV book we need

If you’re going to read a book about domestic violence…please read this one. Better, stronger characters. No pandering to men. Just. Wow.

A Tough One

Stories of domestic violence are hard for me to listen to. This one started slowly for me. Be aware this story could have multiple triggers for victims of abuse. A bit predictable as the story unfolds. Definitely not a light hearted read. I wanted to finish mostly to see if it finished as I thought it would, and it did. I’m sad that so many women often don’t have an option to safely leave these abusive relationships.

Great tale of survival.

Madwoman is a wonderful tale of a woman’s journey through life, making mistakes and falling into traps created in order to survive. The writing is exquisite. The narrator is very good, so important for an audio book. I love the cover and appropriate title. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Amazing writing !!!

Loved! Just listen to this book. Everything you need in a book. Love, mystery, family, thrilling, heart-wrenching… loved how it came together in the end.
Narration was perfect!