The Mad Wife

In a moment of cheap desperation while not wanting to spend the money and waiting on a hold release from the Libby app, I had the good fortune to happen upon The Mad Wife by Meagan Church.

Readers are introduced to Lulu Mayfield a suburban house wife who struggles to meet the rigid expectations of the Stepford wife 1950’s model of iconic perfection.

A feminist masterpiece, The Mad Wife also tackles issues of mental illness, postpartum depression, and the sexual misconduct of men towards women, all the while, captivating readers’ interest through intricate webs of suspense and plot twists.

I also appreciated the underlying nod to the power of female friendships. In the book, friendship offered a glimmer of hope for normalizing feelings of discontent, abandonment, isolation, and depression often dismissed or minimalized by society as a whole.

This, in turn, begs the question of how far we have come. While mental illness is more openly discussed than in the 1950’s, has it come far enough to allow individuals to feel worthy of, comfortable with, and accessible to help?

While the issue is more openly discussed in many modern circles, a look at the streets reveals a different reality. There, numerous individuals struggling with mental health challenges remain marginalized, often left with no choice but to self-medicate using alcohol and drugs.

At some point, mental illness has impacted the majority of families. Whether it carries a stigma of shame or is simply a challenging circumstance to navigate, it remains unclear if we have truly mastered how to provide support for those facing such struggles. What is certain, however, is the necessity of ensuring individuals feel both heard and cherished.