I nearly abandoned this memoir, several times. Not because of the writing style – it’s engaging and bravely-written – but the content is very difficult to stomach. I’m not used to reading memoirs about abuse and this one was absolutely shocking. The subtitle – A Munchausen by Proxy Childhood, and Beyond – stood out to me, because I wasn’t sure what that was. It turns out that I’d heard of it, but didn’t know that was the name of the illness. Munchausen by proxy is when a caregiver creates or induces illnesses or injuries in a child.
Madison tells of her chaotic and disturbed childhood in the north of England in the 70s and 80s. Her mother, who had herself been abused, was an alcoholic, violent and very mentally disturbed. The family lived in poverty and mess. Every chapter brought more horrors and I kept willing her to tell someone in authority about the abuse. After her mother died, when Madison was a teenage mother, the trauma kept building. It was one dreadful event after another. Madison and her brother struggled with relationships and careers, even into middle age. Against what seem like impossible odds, Madison became a university lecturer and then got into property development, but she rushed into unequal relationships, desperate for the love and stability she never saw at home as a child. The book goes up to very recent years and a tragic loss. To the author’s credit, it never sounds like she is asking for pity. She is simply putting her survival story on paper.
I wouldn’t say I enjoyed this read but I appreciated the author’s brutal honesty. The book needed a little editing as there were some spelling mistakes. A few photographs would be a good addition.
Published by Fortis, 2023.