In the Lion's Den

Married just a few months, Marianne gradually discovers that her husband is self-centered and domineering. Attractive and charming in public, he belittles her in private, imposes his habits and favors his own career over that of his wife. Psychological violence is compounded by physical violence. Marianne learns to decipher the moods of this perverse man, and implements strategies to avoid conflict and protect her three children. Not daring to talk about it, and because she thinks her children need their father, she lives ten years in the lion's den. Years after her divorce, she still dreads returning home. Time is what she needs to rebuild her life. Now, she offers a thoughtful account of the mechanisms of narcissistic perversity and withdrawal, and urges women to stop keeping silent. Marianne Guillemin is a journalist and communications officer at the French Ministry of Defense for thirty years, and works for La Tribune/le Progres. She is the author of Officiers de communication: le parcours des combattantes (l'Harmattan, 2013).