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The Percussionist's Wife
"It will get worse before it gets better," I heard the full-bosomed tarot card reader tell my husband, who was being investigated for raping one of his drum line students. Two weeks later, my husband of 11 years was officially charged with forcing himself on his student, and the crime was reported in detail in the newspaper. I wanted to categorize the whole mess as a foolish choice made by my husband. What I simply could not absorb -- even when it was presented to me in the black and white of a dispassionate newspaper story -- was the impact of his sexual encounter with a high school senior in my home while I was out of town. The fortune teller was right. It got worse. And the "better" was nowhere in sight. *** Author Monica Lee explores themes of fidelity, faith and justice in "The Percussionist's Wife: A Memoir of Sex, Crime & Betrayal," the true story about the demise of a marriage after revelations of adultery and criminal sexual conduct. In a perverse age when politicians hide children bred by their mistresses and coaches prey upon their charges, "The Percussionist's Wife" is a modern parable on the nature of betrayal and atonement for those who have endured the shame and mystery of unspeakable secrets. Monica Lee, a former journalist and writer, draws on her skills as a daily newspaper reporter and relies on the police evidence file to recreate her husband's ongoing philandering with his students throughout their marriage and to illustrate how she coped -- or didn't -- with the criminal charges against him.
308 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2012
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37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 13, 2012
In the book, The Percussionist's Wife: A Memoir of Sex, Crime & Betrayal, Monica Lee connects with the reader through her honest, insightful, and candid account of her first marriage. She writes in a way that allows the reader to view the dynamics of the relationship from a "complete picture" viewpoint, not from a victim mentality but from an insightful and humble analysis. Monica gives the reader an inside look at the events that transpired, how she felt about them, and what she discovered about herself and life as a result. She candidly takes ownership of the choices she made along the way, including the coping mechanisms she used to deal with her reality in the midst of chaos. I commend Monica Lee for her ability to open herself up to the reader in such an honest & revealing way! Her courage to pursue happiness and love beyond the reality that she had experienced in her first marriage is enlightening! Exceptionally well done!!!
September 17, 2012
Amazing read. I could not put the book down and finished in a day! It made me think of the things we endure, yet hide in our everyday lives. It was truthful, funny, sad, and thoughtful all at once. Bravo, Monica Lee!! Looking forward to more!
April 26, 2013
Read my full review: http://bit.ly/ZRK00g
My rating: A very generous 2 stars
My opinion: I must admit that I had a very difficult time reading and reviewing this book for multiple reasons as a result it took me forever to get through it. It was a memoir...I get it. However, I have met this author. She is clearly an intelligent, insightful woman. However, I must disagree with other reviewers who have stated that she was self-blaming. I read that everyone else, including religion, being blamed for the occurrences in her life,even those instigated by herself. I don't think this is intentional, but I don't think it can't be dismissed simply for being too "naive" as mentioned by one reviewer.
Normally I enjoy true crime, which is another genre that this book could technically be classified under. This book was sad to me, but not sad for the reasons that readers would feel sadness for. It seemed to me that the author simply bypassed the fact that there were teenage victims in this mix (not to mention other victims of this duo) and simply focused on her own pain and victimization. There were moments that I truly felt myself feeling ill reading this book.
My rating: A very generous 2 stars
My opinion: I must admit that I had a very difficult time reading and reviewing this book for multiple reasons as a result it took me forever to get through it. It was a memoir...I get it. However, I have met this author. She is clearly an intelligent, insightful woman. However, I must disagree with other reviewers who have stated that she was self-blaming. I read that everyone else, including religion, being blamed for the occurrences in her life,even those instigated by herself. I don't think this is intentional, but I don't think it can't be dismissed simply for being too "naive" as mentioned by one reviewer.
Normally I enjoy true crime, which is another genre that this book could technically be classified under. This book was sad to me, but not sad for the reasons that readers would feel sadness for. It seemed to me that the author simply bypassed the fact that there were teenage victims in this mix (not to mention other victims of this duo) and simply focused on her own pain and victimization. There were moments that I truly felt myself feeling ill reading this book.
November 16, 2012
Oh Monica, thank you for sharing your story. Struggled through some, just because the topic is simply not pleasant, but nice to know you get to find such happier times. Great reminder for me that we are not in charge! God has our blueprint and if we press on, things will change. You never know where life will take you. Authentic and honest. By letting this story out, it must have helped break the hold it could have on you as well as help others know they are not alone.
September 16, 2012
I am not even finished with this book (30%) and already feel like shouting from the rooftop that this book is a MUST READ. Monica did a beautiful job!!!! I finished this book in 2 days. I LOVE this book. Monica is honest, brave, and has me thinking about things in my life that could be addressed and resolved. I cant say it enough....Read this book....you will not be disappointed!
June 22, 2013
"I wanted to believe him, my husband, the man with whom I trusted my body and soul and to whom I pledged my undying love."
Be a fly on the wall and read this brave yet brutal story of love and betrayal which was told with raw gut wrenching honesty. I was pulled into this moving story and became immersed from the beginning. I felt her disappointment within herself and in her crumbling (I mean crumbled) marriage. In Monica's writing at times there is a lack of feeling where one would expect her to be more emotional. There is a kind of disconnect that I think happens when you are either cold or have told the story one too many times. Still, I felt for her and her unfortunate circumstances. She was brutally honest as she described her own transgressions and sometimes it seemed she felt she might have failed herself by not living up to her own expectations. At times it felt like a game of true confessions as she laid it ALL out on the table.
This story was well written and compelling. It drew me in and I wanted to know more. I would be lying if I were to say it was an easy book to read. On the contrary. I found it difficult to hush my judgmental inner voice. I had to set that aside and keep an open mind. I believed every word, feeling and emotion the author shared.
"I wanted to portray an image of control - perfect and above reproach. But the real Monica was imperfect, occasionally overcome by lust, prone to poor decision-making and, simply, human. I took refuge behind a mask of control, and I acted like I had all the answers and no shortcomings. But this mask didn't protect me from the judgments of others and certainly not from myself. My denial of the real face behind the mask had turned out to be more harmful than comforting."
Be a fly on the wall and read this brave yet brutal story of love and betrayal which was told with raw gut wrenching honesty. I was pulled into this moving story and became immersed from the beginning. I felt her disappointment within herself and in her crumbling (I mean crumbled) marriage. In Monica's writing at times there is a lack of feeling where one would expect her to be more emotional. There is a kind of disconnect that I think happens when you are either cold or have told the story one too many times. Still, I felt for her and her unfortunate circumstances. She was brutally honest as she described her own transgressions and sometimes it seemed she felt she might have failed herself by not living up to her own expectations. At times it felt like a game of true confessions as she laid it ALL out on the table.
This story was well written and compelling. It drew me in and I wanted to know more. I would be lying if I were to say it was an easy book to read. On the contrary. I found it difficult to hush my judgmental inner voice. I had to set that aside and keep an open mind. I believed every word, feeling and emotion the author shared.
"I wanted to portray an image of control - perfect and above reproach. But the real Monica was imperfect, occasionally overcome by lust, prone to poor decision-making and, simply, human. I took refuge behind a mask of control, and I acted like I had all the answers and no shortcomings. But this mask didn't protect me from the judgments of others and certainly not from myself. My denial of the real face behind the mask had turned out to be more harmful than comforting."
October 11, 2012
The Percussionist’s Wife is a simple story of betrayal. The author turns an all too familiar tale into a fascinating and complex examination of an intelligent woman’s journey through a dark, life altering, episode. By sharing her thoughts and her thought process as she navigates this unbearably painful sojourn in her life, the author reveals the nuances that plague a woman during times of intolerable strife. Put simply, sometimes she’s brilliant and insightful, sometimes she’s into self-blame, sometimes she’s deep into denial and rationalization, almost sounding childlike in her naiveté.
If I were forced to find fault with The Percussionist’s Wife, it would be that the author, and protagonist, is clearly an intelligent and well-balanced individual, yet we only see the paranoid or rationalizing sides of her, and we don’t get very much information about the parts in her life that are working and wonderful. I think the dichotomy would be even more appalling were we to see how truly successful she is in other parts of her life.
If I were forced to find fault with The Percussionist’s Wife, it would be that the author, and protagonist, is clearly an intelligent and well-balanced individual, yet we only see the paranoid or rationalizing sides of her, and we don’t get very much information about the parts in her life that are working and wonderful. I think the dichotomy would be even more appalling were we to see how truly successful she is in other parts of her life.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews