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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Madly Deeply Wildly by Katherine Turner is a contemporary women's novel that revolves around the story's main character, Renata, and the dual tragedy of losing her father unexpectedly and overcoming the trauma of her marriage to Damian. In the aftermath of both, Renata struggles with writer's block despite a deep desire to reach a milestone she'd dreamed of, deciding that a step back into a simpler way of living might be the step forward she needs. She takes a job at a coffee shop working with Fern and Caroline, who have feelings for each other, and Renata becomes fast friends with them. Renata keeps the anguish she carries from Damian's abuse buried deep but it frequently bubbles to the surface and impacts on a budding romance with Chad. This intensifies as the relationship progresses and Damien resurfaces, putting Renata, a prolific runner, on the verge of fight or flight. This could upend an otherwise happy life that she cannot see lasting.
“I saw myself cowering at home, not having left in weeks, being physically restrained from leaving like Damien had done to me… except it wasn’t Damien I saw. It was Chad.” If you're looking for a novel that is going to hit you in the feels, Madly Deeply Wildly by Katherine Turner is it. Renata is a broken woman and it is impossible not to want to pick her up and try to help her put herself back together. The writing is exceptional and a lot of what Renata experiences is a beautifully nuanced, sort of full-circle series of events that only a skilled writer like Turner can create. An example of this is with Damien gaslighting Renata into thinking that even though he punched her it was the bath she fell on that caused her facial injury, and later that same cheek being warmed under Chad's gentle hand as he tells her how amazing she is. If I have one complaint it is that I wish Renata had spent more time just as Renata. Not Renata and Damien, Renata and Dad, and Renata and Chad. She deserves to be a woman in her own right and completely free of men before picking another, but as far as fiction goes this is a wonderful story of making oneself whole again. Very highly recommended.
