Reckless Years: A Diary of Love and Madness

Journalist Chaplin (Smartbomb) had been married for 13 years when she realized she no longer loved her husband and began a diary that would evolve into this thoughtful, moving memoir. Garnering her courage, she ended her relationship—which was emotionally abusive and codependent—and set out to experience life on her own again at the age of 35. In her untethered state she found a refreshing freedom and took advantage of her situation by ramping up her freelance writing career. At one point, she traveled to Ireland to write a piece on Dublin; there she met a documentary filmmaker and had a steamy but anguished affair. Her story is exhilarating and full of extraordinary people; she experiences inflated highs followed by dark and, at times, suicidal lows. Her self-reflection ranges from “You rule, HC!” to “I do not like myself.... And maybe I’m not as cool and awesome as I thought.” Chaplin’s writing is spirited and multilayered, and readers will be drawn into this deepening tale of love, sex, confusion, buried family secrets, and—as the title suggests—“madness.” The sheer force of Chaplin’s relentless passion for the magnificence of life makes this a fascinating narrative. (July)