Torn

Is love enough? In Torn, four women face the biggest decisions of their lives. For readers of Heartsick and Three Women.

Anna is in her early seventies and met her future husband when they were 12 years old. One day, Anna's daughter handed her a card from another woman. 

Kate is in her mid-fifties. Her husband gave Kate her dream family, and for her kids, she tolerated his drinking and affairs. But then he started gambling away their futures.

Liana, in her mid-forties, was in a series of abusive relationships before she finally met a man who seemed 'normal'. Then she spotted the signs of addiction she knew all too well.

Amanda, in her mid-thirties, and her husband were childhood sweethearts. She found out he'd been visiting sex workers since their wedding – then she met the love of her life.

Torn is an intimate, compelling exploration of the age-old dilemma: to stay in an unhappy relationship, or to leave? This book is about four women in moments of crisis – and what they chose to do next.

'I cannot imagine a lonelier place than a relationship you're not sure you're meant to be in anymore. With Torn, Nicole Madigan has given any woman who is white-knuckling it through the muck and mire of the unknown – the indecision and the teeming what-ifs – proof that she is not alone, that other women have walked here before her and are walking alongside her even now. Torn is a tender, delicate read that felt like being passed a private journal in confidence and being asked to hold another woman's truths and fears without judgement or moralising. This book will stay with me for a long time.' – Naima Brown

'Nicole Madigan does it again! One of the greatest teller of stories this country desperately needs to hear. Bravo. I couldn’t put it down. Compelling, harrowing, deeply moving and utterly enlightening, this book is a must-read. It’s told with care, compassion and laser-sharp insight to expose the true beating heart of the human condition. Equal parts beautiful and brutal. This book will put you in your place.' – Shannon Molloy

Nicole Madigan is a writer, editor, journalist, author and advocate based in Brisbane, Australia.

Previously a television reporter with the Nine Network, Nicole has spent the past 15 years writing investigative articles, news pieces, long-form features and content for a wide range of publications and businesses. She is currently a staff writer and weekly podcast host at Mamamia.

As a freelance writer, Nicole's work is regularly featured in numerous print and online publications, including MiNDFOOD, The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Courier Mail, the Herald Sun, the Australian, Australian Financial Review, Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, news.com.au, CFO Magazine, CEO Magazine, Women’s Agenda, Mamamia, Kidspot, the Walkley Magazine, Health Times, Campus Review, Elite Agent and Sunday Life, among others. She is the editor of Get It Magazine, and has previously edited the REIQ Journal and newbornbaby.com.au.

Nicole frequently appears as a guest on podcasts, radio and live panels, speaking about domestic and family violence, coercive control and stalking.  She is a non-executive board director of Friends with Dignity, a charity providing support to victim-survivors of domestic violence, and is an ambassador for domestic violence advocacy group My Red Flags.

Nicole is the author of two children’s books. Her debut non-fiction book, Obsession: A Journalist and Victim-survivor’s Investigation into Stalking, was published in 2023 by Pantera Press.

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