A Beautiful, Terrible Thing
A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal
Failed to add items
Add to cart failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
New to Audible Prime Member exclusive: 2 credits with free trial
A Beautiful, Terrible Thing
Buy Now for ₹879.00
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Jen Waite
-
Written by:
-
Jen Waite
About this listen
A woman discovers her marriage is built on an illusion in this harrowing and ultimately inspiring memoir.
“Be forewarned: You won’t sleep until you finish the last page.” (Caroline Leavitt, author of Cruel Beautiful World)
One night. One email. Two realities.
Before: Jen Waite has met the partner of her dreams. A handsome, loving man who becomes part of her family, evolving into her husband, her best friend, and the father of her infant daughter.
After: A disturbing email sparks suspicion, leading to an investigation of who this man really is and what was really happening in their marriage.
In alternating Before and After chapters, Waite obsessively analyzes her relationship, trying to find a single moment form the past five years that isn't part of the long con of lies and manipulation. Instead, she finds more lies, infidelity, and betrayal than she could have imagined.
With the pacing and twists of a psychological thriller, A Beautiful, Terrible Thing looks at how a fairy tale can become a nightmare and what happens when “it could never happen to me” actually does.
©2017 Jen Waite (P)2017 Penguin AudioEditorial Reviews
Editors Select, July 2017
Even if you’ve never experienced betrayal at the magnitude the author has, I think it’s safe to say we’re all familiar with the sensation of being blindsided - and it’s that connection that makes this moving, unflinching memoir so powerful. In her own words and voice, Jen Waite describes how one shocking revelation of infidelity led to the discovery that her devoted husband, the father of her newborn daughter, was not the person she believed him to be - and that he might, in fact, be a psychopath (her own diagnosis, admittedly). With raw honesty, Waite fearlessly recounts the grief it caused her. At first her narration is understated, but as the story progresses, it becomes a downright intimate experience. Her voice breaks when she talks about the most painful parts of her ordeal and rises with the hint of a smile as she recounts the early days of her relationship and later, when she begins to triumph on her own. This can’t have been an easy story to put to paper, let alone read aloud, but Waite did an excellent job with both tasks. —Sam, Audible Editor
Critic Reviews
“Waite has a knack for showing the ways that cognitive dissonance can chart pathways in the mind that cause emotional confusion to obscure rational thought.” (Meghan Daum, New York Times Book Review)
“[Waite's] memoir is a great source of strength.” (Hello Giggles)
“Heartbreaking and riveting.” (Bustle)
"Like Big Little Lies, A Beautiful Terrible Thing is a startling reminder that fairy tales aren't real. A master class in suspenseful storytelling, Jen Waite recounts the lies, betrayals, and infidelity she endured with unrestrained honesty and deft candor. I couldn't turn away." (Jillian Lauren, New York Times best-selling author of Some Girls: My Life in a Harem and Everything You Ever Wanted)