A review by judyward
When Madeline Was Young by Jane Hamilton

2.0

This is the third book that I've read by Jane Hamilton and, unfortunately, it's the one that I enjoyed the least. I never really was comfortable with the premise--a young man, Aaron Mciver is married to a beautiful young woman named Madeline. She suffers an accident early in their marriage, is brain damaged, and is left with the mental capability of a 7 year old. A tragic event, but one that takes on bizarre aspects when Aaron divorces Madeline, marries Julia, who is one of Madeline's nurses, and then the three adults form a family unit. Yes, Madeline is treated as if she is one of the children in the family. The book is narrated by Mac, Julia and Aaron's son, who views Madeline as an older sister with special needs. Julia reminds the reader of Eleanor Roosevelt, both in her social awkwardness and in her extremely liberal political views. The novel explores issues such as the effect parent's political views have on their children and also follows two generations of the Mciver family as they deal with the political world from the 1950s through the Iraq War and with the interpersonal relationships among family members.