A Beautiful, Terrible Thing
written and read by Jen Waite
Penguin Audio

It’s worth revisiting Jen Waite’s opening note when you reach the end of her tale of betrayal. “This is not a clinical diagnosis of psychopathy,” she says, although later revealing she is studying to become a therapist, specialising in recovery from psychopathic relationships. This book tells of her relationship with a bar manager named Marco, whom she married. Marco turns out to be a serial cheater (and liar and narcissist), which Waite discovers three weeks after giving birth to their daughter. An email gives him away, fol­lowed by proof from social media, phone records and Uber receipts, showing his movements. Had Waite given herself some distance from the torment, her book may have felt less like self-therapy. That said, others who have gone through similar relationships will cheer her on.