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Crazy Love
Based on the author's own experiences, this vivid novel explores how - as the Van Morrison song suggests - crazy love can take away the troubles. It can, though, add a whole lot more.
'We save each other, don’t we, when we are in love.'
It has been 28 years since Vicki last sent a letter to Robert Muldoon. Last time she wrote, he was Prime Minister, while she was living with her loser-boyfriend and wanting to know why people like her had to exist in such dire straits. Back then, Muldoon sent her a dollar, but it was the irrepressible Billy who turned up and transformed her life. This time Muldoon is dead and it is Billy who has made her so desperate she doesn’t know where to turn.
Since running away with Billy, Vicki has barely looked back. Together they have become a family and prospered. They have survived so much, but can they survive Billy’s increasingly erratic behaviour, especially when he seems so set on pulling them apart?
'We save each other, don’t we, when we are in love.'
It has been 28 years since Vicki last sent a letter to Robert Muldoon. Last time she wrote, he was Prime Minister, while she was living with her loser-boyfriend and wanting to know why people like her had to exist in such dire straits. Back then, Muldoon sent her a dollar, but it was the irrepressible Billy who turned up and transformed her life. This time Muldoon is dead and it is Billy who has made her so desperate she doesn’t know where to turn.
Since running away with Billy, Vicki has barely looked back. Together they have become a family and prospered. They have survived so much, but can they survive Billy’s increasingly erratic behaviour, especially when he seems so set on pulling them apart?
- GenresBook Club
336 pages, Paperback
Published August 3, 2021
5 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Rosetta Allan
5 books27 followersRosetta Allan is a multi-talented writer with a passion for poetry that began in her formative years. Rosetta honed her skills and achieved recognition through prestigious awards such as the Kathleen Grattan Poetry and the Metonymy Poetry Awards.
In 2017, Rosetta solidified her commitment to her craft by earning a Master of Creative Writing with First-Class Honours First Division from the University of Auckland. Her talent and dedication were duly acknowledged with the coveted Wallace Trust Scholarship.
Beyond her writing, Rosetta has embraced her role as a mentor, teacher, and manuscript assessor, sharing her knowledge and guiding aspiring writers on their creative journeys. As an essayist, she fearlessly explores intricate subjects, delving into the complexities of the human experience. Rosetta also is an experienced public speaker.
Rosetta's literary contributions extend across various genres. Her two volumes of poetry, "Little Rock" (2007) and "Over Lunch" (2010), showcase her ability to weave evocative imagery and lyrical prose. However, it is her three novels, "Purgatory" (2014), "The Unreliable People" (2019), and "Crazy Love" (2021), published by Penguin Random House NZ, that have garnered widespread acclaim, securing spots on best-seller lists and captivating readers worldwide.
In 2017, Rosetta solidified her commitment to her craft by earning a Master of Creative Writing with First-Class Honours First Division from the University of Auckland. Her talent and dedication were duly acknowledged with the coveted Wallace Trust Scholarship.
Beyond her writing, Rosetta has embraced her role as a mentor, teacher, and manuscript assessor, sharing her knowledge and guiding aspiring writers on their creative journeys. As an essayist, she fearlessly explores intricate subjects, delving into the complexities of the human experience. Rosetta also is an experienced public speaker.
Rosetta's literary contributions extend across various genres. Her two volumes of poetry, "Little Rock" (2007) and "Over Lunch" (2010), showcase her ability to weave evocative imagery and lyrical prose. However, it is her three novels, "Purgatory" (2014), "The Unreliable People" (2019), and "Crazy Love" (2021), published by Penguin Random House NZ, that have garnered widespread acclaim, securing spots on best-seller lists and captivating readers worldwide.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 11, 2025
This novel tells the story of Vicky who, having been brought up “near feral” by her dysfunctional mother, is evicted from home at 18 years of age and moves to a doss house where she falls in love with Billy, who is bi-polar.
The novel describes in detail the highs and especially the lows of living with Billy who is incredibly difficult to live with due to his mental illness. The couple’s relationship is characterised by DRAMA from the beginning:- dishonesty, jealousy, physical abuse, heated arguments including Vicki throwing things, Billy disappearing for days, infidelity, brushes with the law (mainly Billy – high speed car chases, theft, drunkenness, grafitti). For much of the time Vicki tries to protect Billy from the consequences of his behaviour.
Vicki is consumed by her relationship with Billy. Their two children barely get a mention. “The children fled Billy and my home young”. She calls them “Surly Daughter” and “Eat-and-Run Son”.
Despite being miserable in her relationship for long stretches of time, Vicki is unable to let Billy go. Listening to the lyrics of various popular songs helps her to amplify her bond with Billy and minimize her unhappiness.
At 47 Vicki’s friend speculates at a dinner party that Vicki is co-dependent. Vicki rejects the idea and rejects her friend as well for suggesting such a thing. She reassures herself that Billy and she are simply “interdependent.” She writes “I’m not made weaker by the relationship. I’m made more substantial.” Billy gives her life meaning and purpose.
Later, in a rare moment of insight, Vicki wrote “Perhaps the fault’s been mine all along. In giving Billy the flexible and spontaneous partner I thought he needed, I’ve left myself vulnerable to under development.” (p 154).
This thought deserved more investigation. I kept hoping Vicki would realise her agency and recognise role she played in her own misery. I hoped she would be able to extract herself from the chaos of living with Billy and carve out a stable, calmer life for herself. Perhaps she would give him an ultimatum that he would need to accept treatment or she would leave, or if this option seemed impossible, perhaps she would simply leave. She chose to do neither.
Eventually Billy is admitted to a psychiatric ward for several months. After he was discharged from hospital, the couple reached a more stable, contented relationship.
The author writes at length about the miserable years of the couple’s relationship and this part of the book was repetitive and dragged. During this period she indeed displayed many of the behaviours of a co-dependent partner.
Comparatively little attention was paid to the personal development required of Vicki and Billy after Billy's discharge from hospital in order to transform their relationship. A more detailed description of this period of their relationship would have improved the novel for me.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CO-DEPENDENT PEOPLE
Co-dependents have low self-esteem and look for anything outside of themselves to make them feel better. They find it hard to “be themselves.”
They have good intentions. They try to take care of a person who is experiencing difficulty, but the caretaking becomes compulsive and defeating. Co-dependents often take on a martyr’s role and become “benefactors” to an individual in need.
Co-dependent people may make excuses for another person, to keep them from suffering the consequences of their behaviour.
The problem is that these repeated rescue attempts allow the needy individual to continue on a destructive course and to become even more dependent on the unhealthy caretaking of the “benefactor.” As this reliance increases, the co-dependent develops a sense of reward and satisfaction from “being needed.”
When the caretaking becomes compulsive, the co-dependent feels stuck and helpless in the relationship, but is unable to break away from it.
The novel describes in detail the highs and especially the lows of living with Billy who is incredibly difficult to live with due to his mental illness. The couple’s relationship is characterised by DRAMA from the beginning:- dishonesty, jealousy, physical abuse, heated arguments including Vicki throwing things, Billy disappearing for days, infidelity, brushes with the law (mainly Billy – high speed car chases, theft, drunkenness, grafitti). For much of the time Vicki tries to protect Billy from the consequences of his behaviour.
Vicki is consumed by her relationship with Billy. Their two children barely get a mention. “The children fled Billy and my home young”. She calls them “Surly Daughter” and “Eat-and-Run Son”.
Despite being miserable in her relationship for long stretches of time, Vicki is unable to let Billy go. Listening to the lyrics of various popular songs helps her to amplify her bond with Billy and minimize her unhappiness.
At 47 Vicki’s friend speculates at a dinner party that Vicki is co-dependent. Vicki rejects the idea and rejects her friend as well for suggesting such a thing. She reassures herself that Billy and she are simply “interdependent.” She writes “I’m not made weaker by the relationship. I’m made more substantial.” Billy gives her life meaning and purpose.
Later, in a rare moment of insight, Vicki wrote “Perhaps the fault’s been mine all along. In giving Billy the flexible and spontaneous partner I thought he needed, I’ve left myself vulnerable to under development.” (p 154).
This thought deserved more investigation. I kept hoping Vicki would realise her agency and recognise role she played in her own misery. I hoped she would be able to extract herself from the chaos of living with Billy and carve out a stable, calmer life for herself. Perhaps she would give him an ultimatum that he would need to accept treatment or she would leave, or if this option seemed impossible, perhaps she would simply leave. She chose to do neither.
Eventually Billy is admitted to a psychiatric ward for several months. After he was discharged from hospital, the couple reached a more stable, contented relationship.
The author writes at length about the miserable years of the couple’s relationship and this part of the book was repetitive and dragged. During this period she indeed displayed many of the behaviours of a co-dependent partner.
Comparatively little attention was paid to the personal development required of Vicki and Billy after Billy's discharge from hospital in order to transform their relationship. A more detailed description of this period of their relationship would have improved the novel for me.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CO-DEPENDENT PEOPLE
Co-dependents have low self-esteem and look for anything outside of themselves to make them feel better. They find it hard to “be themselves.”
They have good intentions. They try to take care of a person who is experiencing difficulty, but the caretaking becomes compulsive and defeating. Co-dependents often take on a martyr’s role and become “benefactors” to an individual in need.
Co-dependent people may make excuses for another person, to keep them from suffering the consequences of their behaviour.
The problem is that these repeated rescue attempts allow the needy individual to continue on a destructive course and to become even more dependent on the unhealthy caretaking of the “benefactor.” As this reliance increases, the co-dependent develops a sense of reward and satisfaction from “being needed.”
When the caretaking becomes compulsive, the co-dependent feels stuck and helpless in the relationship, but is unable to break away from it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2021
CRAZY LOVE
Searingly raw, yet beautiful. A love story with a twist. A triumph of love conquering adversity. A no-holes-barred insight into the realities of supporting our mentally unwell. Crazy Love leaves you, the reader, in no doubt about the struggle. But also the why? — the person behind the illness, the individual, the personality with a unique outlook, elusive qualities, admirable skills. Crazy Love is written with a light touch that never allows the story to wallow with Rosetta Allan’s trademark poetic flair and wry humour woven throughout. At times you will laugh out loud, sometimes you will cringe, you may shed a tear. You might also count yourself lucky. Ultimately, you are left holding what feels like a celebration. I challenge you not to feel a whole lot of admiration.
Searingly raw, yet beautiful. A love story with a twist. A triumph of love conquering adversity. A no-holes-barred insight into the realities of supporting our mentally unwell. Crazy Love leaves you, the reader, in no doubt about the struggle. But also the why? — the person behind the illness, the individual, the personality with a unique outlook, elusive qualities, admirable skills. Crazy Love is written with a light touch that never allows the story to wallow with Rosetta Allan’s trademark poetic flair and wry humour woven throughout. At times you will laugh out loud, sometimes you will cringe, you may shed a tear. You might also count yourself lucky. Ultimately, you are left holding what feels like a celebration. I challenge you not to feel a whole lot of admiration.
December 18, 2022
I enjoyed some sections of this book and learnt a little about what it must be like to experience bi polar disorder alongside a loved one.
The names-of-the-characters or various descriptions-of-events with multiple hyphens started to pain me. There-was-some-really-long-sentences using this format to describe something instead of just calling it was what it actually was. I found it did not add an ‘interest’ or ‘quirkiness’ to the story being told as it was highly over used and quite irritating.
Are people really that much in love after years of marriage? They seemed like teenagers in love which made it kind of unbelievable and a bit beefed up.
The names-of-the-characters or various descriptions-of-events with multiple hyphens started to pain me. There-was-some-really-long-sentences using this format to describe something instead of just calling it was what it actually was. I found it did not add an ‘interest’ or ‘quirkiness’ to the story being told as it was highly over used and quite irritating.
Are people really that much in love after years of marriage? They seemed like teenagers in love which made it kind of unbelievable and a bit beefed up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2021
It’s hard to know how much of this book is memoir and how much is fiction. I found myself reading this as a memoir as diary links seemed to lean that way. There’s an eight year gap at the end where the story moves forward into 2020 and lockdown and relative peace in the relationship. I commend Rosetta for her fortitude in her marriage and her wonderful, witty writing. Not an easy read or an easy life in crazy love which can take away the troubles and add a whole lot more especially when dealing with mental illness.
March 27, 2022
A book I can pick up more than once. The title Crazy Love says it all. What a raw, rollercoaster and lovers story, Mental health is one hell of a journey but true love always concurs through rain or shine.
Read
December 10, 2022It felt more memoir than novel and would love to know where they intersected. Definitely an unorthodox love story! I laughed at the “love in the time of Coronavirus” line and also really appreciated all the music references and the clever naming by describing others, especially “eat and run son”.
January 6, 2024
Although this story is set in my lifetime and includes places and events I remember, I had no idea how things would look while living with a mentally ill person. Rosetta uses some humour to lighten the tone, but it is a moving read.
July 19, 2025
Maybe a 3.5 for me - maybe… it was a tough read at times, but I think I didn’t get their love enough in the first part for the second part to be believable. I think it is somewhat autobiographical but it just wasn’t for me.
January 15, 2022
The title Crazy Love sums up this book, I wonder how much of this is based on her life. What a sad story, his mental health journey and her commitment to loving him throughout the storms.
April 13, 2022
A very powerful story based on the author's life
August 2, 2023
Though dealing with real and raw issues I found this book wasn’t as gripping and the pace was quite slow.
March 4, 2022
Crazy Love follows the life of Vicki, who starts the novel off in a ramshackle apartment with her ‘loser-boyfriend’ and no clear path forward. This all changes when she meets Billy, who opens her mind and changes her life, as she falls head over heels for him in a short space of time. The rapidity with which they came together is reflective of the way in which their life progresses - married immediately, children not long after that, and several businesses along the way - some successful, some not.
The book follows Vicki as her relationship with Billy slowly unravels, on par with his declining mental health, and shows how Vicki copes with this and fights for the only love she has ever known, even at the sacrifice of her sanity and those around her.
My favourite thing about this book was not only the way in which it was set in New Zealand and even my home district, but also the way that it spanned across Vicki’s life and simultaneously New Zealand over that time. It was both an interesting and an accurate (I thought) reflection of New Zealand life, New Zealand society and key issues of the time. Because of this, I found the story to be quite relatable, and I think any reader who gives this book a go would take something out of it - and I think this is largely thanks to the author’s writing that draws you in and allows you as a reader to find some part of yourself within Vicki’s tumultuous journey through adulthood.
My only criticism would be that I felt the ending to be rushed and didn’t like the time jump from 2012-2020 as I felt much was glossed over and I would have liked to have seen more of Billy’s journey of recovery, and how he got to where he currently is when we meet him again at the end of the novel.
Otherwise, I found this a really enjoyable read and was easily absorbed, having managed to finish the entire second half of the book in one sitting because it was just that good.
Review copy received by @penguinbooksnz
The book follows Vicki as her relationship with Billy slowly unravels, on par with his declining mental health, and shows how Vicki copes with this and fights for the only love she has ever known, even at the sacrifice of her sanity and those around her.
My favourite thing about this book was not only the way in which it was set in New Zealand and even my home district, but also the way that it spanned across Vicki’s life and simultaneously New Zealand over that time. It was both an interesting and an accurate (I thought) reflection of New Zealand life, New Zealand society and key issues of the time. Because of this, I found the story to be quite relatable, and I think any reader who gives this book a go would take something out of it - and I think this is largely thanks to the author’s writing that draws you in and allows you as a reader to find some part of yourself within Vicki’s tumultuous journey through adulthood.
My only criticism would be that I felt the ending to be rushed and didn’t like the time jump from 2012-2020 as I felt much was glossed over and I would have liked to have seen more of Billy’s journey of recovery, and how he got to where he currently is when we meet him again at the end of the novel.
Otherwise, I found this a really enjoyable read and was easily absorbed, having managed to finish the entire second half of the book in one sitting because it was just that good.
Review copy received by @penguinbooksnz
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews