“When Madeline was young”
by Jane Hamilton is about a young couple who marry, and early in their marriage the wife (Madeline) has a bike accident, is comatose for a period, and when she wakes up she has (forever) the intellect of a 7 year old. Ultimately her husband divorces her and remarries and he and the second wife “raise” Madeline, who lives with them forever. The book is the story of their whole families and, of course, Madeline. Great!