Publication Date: June 10, 2025
A darkly funny feminist debut about a resentful stay-at-home wife and her vindictive marriage therapist
Revenge is in session.
Eliza Sheridan is at her wits’ end with her husband, Richard. Not only did he uproot her and their daughter Mara’s lives for his career, but he also hasn’t honored the one thing he promised before moving to Dublin: that he’d make more time for his wife and daughter.
So when Eliza receives an anonymous photo of Richard with another woman, she’s just about ready to file for divorce. As a last resort, she pays a visit to a marriage therapist, Ms. Early, who Eliza quickly learns is a bit…alternative in her approach. As their sessions unfold, Ms. Early spurs her on to commit a series of vengeful acts against Richard—each more bizarre than the last—all in the name of “re-training” her husband. But when therapy takes a risky turn, suspicions grow and alliances shift… How far is Eliza willing to go to save her marriage?
A photo of her husband canoodling with another woman sends Eliza Sheridan seeking answers.
Author Caroline Madden delivers a tongue-in-cheek story with The Marriage Vendetta. Thanks to the help of a rather unorthodox therapist named Ms. Early, Eliza embarks on a path of enlightenment.
Richard plays the villain well, thanks to his self-absorbed personality. His lack of regard for Eliza and their daughter, coupled with his tendency to lie, makes him unlikable. Eliza, on the other hand, shows tremendous growth as she follows the options presented by Ms. Early.
The end result highlights a more assertive Eliza, revived thanks to finally being able to return to playing the piano, a profession she had given up for Richard.
The Marriage Vendetta empowers a woman to retrain her husband…with unexpected (yet completely hilarious) results.
Caroline Madden has been writing for The Irish Times for over fifteen years. She was longlisted for the Write Stuff competition at the London Book Fair in 2019 and The Husband Whisperer was longlisted for the Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award in 2022. This is her debut.
