The Beaten Path

Maddie has found herself in a terrible situation, and if she is to be honest with herself, she is not even sure when her life spiralled so far out of control. Now all her choices and her freedom have been stripped away by her controlling and abusive boyfriend Malcolm. The warped perception of love, violence, and coercive control that Malcolm uses against Maddie rapidly escalates, in a surprisingly short frame of time, until finally, he beats her so ferociously no amount of makeup will hide her shameful secret. Maddie must choose to call for help to protect herself and their infant son, a decision that could potentially risk him killing them both if he catches her trying to leave. Maddie’s dry sense of humour and knack for seeing the funny side inspires both tears and laughter, but this not only the story of Maddie’s journey. The Beaten Path is more than how domestic violence has affected Maddie’s life, it also brings into play how her choice to stay with a man that beats her, affects all the people around her, including her pets, her family members, her friends, her co-workers, and ultimately the baby this nightmare relationship produces. Maddie tells her story in a straight forward open way, using a narrative which organically leads the reader towards understanding how a well-adjusted girl, from a happy, stable family, could end up in a violent relationship. She admits to the reader what she is unable able to admit to herself, that she has made a terrible mistake and is now paying the price. The first thing you should know is that Madeline is me. Maddie's story is my story. The events that unfold in this book are taken directly from my life. Names, locations, and some situations have been altered to protect the identities of those who have been affected by what happened to me. Everything else is the raw, uncensored truth. Writing this book has been both therapeutic and incredibly hard. With over a decade separating myself from this abuse, I am finally able to share it, with the hope that maybe my story will help others understand why abused women don't just leave. If you have survived an abusive relationship, or know someone who has, or would like a more in-depth insight into the mechanics of the control the abusive archetype has over their victim, then this book is a must-read.