Official Review: The Narcissist's Bait by Rachel Watson

[Ruba Abu Ali]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Narcissist's Bait" by Rachel Watson.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

“The soul-crushing kind of abuse that is inflicted on the people who love a narcissist might not be visible to the naked eye, but it can leave devastating emotional scars that never go away.”--Angela Atkinson

The Narcissist’s Bait by Rachel Watson is a memoir that delves into the details of the relationship between the author and her spouse, and the deleterious effects of narcissistic abuse on a relationship.

Her spouse’s verbal and emotional abuse, in addition to his rage bouts and manipulative nature, would turn the independent and accomplished woman that the author is into a person who’s riddled with anxiety and fear.

Will Rachel ultimately be able to pull herself together and break the cycle of abuse? What is the breaking point that would make her take some tough decisions? Does having a baby change the dynamics of the situation?

The majority of events take place between Scotland and Dubai, and to a lesser extent in Italy, where Rachel’s spouse’s parents are from. Rachel’s journey is a rollercoaster of emotions and tenacity. It is incredibly hard to hold on to the belief of having found true love and the perfect relationship when abuse and narcissism show their ugly face repeatedly in a disturbing pattern.

The author’s writing style is direct and heartfelt, which helped me get immersed in the events right away, and I could put myself in Rachel’s shoes. Furthermore, I appreciated that she steered away from prejudice and premeditated judgment, which added to the authenticity of her text. Where other people may have fled from the outset, she opted to practice patience and adopt a rational approach. She says, “I yearned for peacefulness and tranquillity. My life had become a war zone. I now had to make tactical moves to maintain any form of normality on a day-to-day basis.”

On a side note, it is not to be understood that this book is gloomy, for it is an invigorating account of love, as well as family and friends’ support. Moreover, I was intrigued by the insider’s look at the expatriate life in Dubai, and the pros and cons of this cosmopolitan city.

There is little to dislike about this book, and I believe it would appeal to a diverse scope of readers. I’d recommend it to women seeking empowering reads that are full of strength and hope. Also, fans of engaging memoirs are bound to be satisfied. Moreover, people interested in witnessing a realistic portrayal of narcissism and abuse will find this book hard to put down. Readers who appreciate struggles that wind up in overcoming adversity will relate to Rachel’s inspiring journey that’s still far from being finished.

That said, and although the book seemed professionally edited, I still could come across some minor and easily correctable grammatical errors and a few missing words. These, unfortunately, crossed the ten errors’ threshold, which forces me to deduct one star from the total rating. I, therefore, rate The Narcissist’s Bait by Rachel Watson 3 out of 4 stars.

Finally, I could experience all sorts of emotions while reading Rachel’s words, and it hit me how true it is to say that love rarely dies a natural death. It has to be killed, either by neglect or narcissism.

******
The Narcissist's Bait
View: on Bookshelves

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

This sounds like a heart-wrenching but empowering read! I am glad to hear that it wasn't all doom and gloom though. I am glad the author has the support of friends and family to help her through this difficult journey. Thanks for the lovely review!

[Ruba Abu Ali]

This sounds like a heart-wrenching but empowering read! I am glad to hear that it wasn't all doom and gloom though. I am glad the author has the support of friends and family to help her through this difficult journey. Thanks for the lovely review!

Thank you for dropping by and for the comment.

[Cecilia_L]

I appreciate empowering reads, Ruba, and your enlightening review further piques my interest. Thanks for the recommendation.

[MsH2k]

“...love rarely dies a natural death. It has to be killed,”
That is a true and powerful observation. Thank you for your review.

[Ruba Abu Ali]

I appreciate empowering reads, Ruba, and your enlightening review further piques my interest. Thanks for the recommendation.

Thank you, Cecilia! Much appreciated.

[Nisha Ward]

This sounds wonderful and I'm glad the author had a support system in place. Spousal abuse is bad enough but paired with narcissism, it's even worse. I can only imagine the horrendous treatment she went through.