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Showing posts with label abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label abuse. Show all posts
9 April 2014
Title
|
Dolores Claiborne
|
Author
| Stephen King |
Publisher
| Hodder & Stoughton |
Publication Date
|
1992
|
Pages
| 320 |
Genre
| Psychological Thriller |
From the blurb:
Dolores Claiborne has a story to tell. But not quite what the police had expected. Dolores Claiborne has a confession to make. She will take her time. Won't be hurried. Will do it her way, sparing neither details or feelings. Hers or anyone else's.
This is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Truth that takes you to the edge of darkness. Dolores Claiborne has a story to tell and you'd better pay attention - or else...
This is Stephen King but maybe not as we know him and as we imagine his books to me. He makes a little detour into the psychological genre here (but there is still of course a small supernatural element).
The story is told by Dolores, the main protagonist. Unusually so, there are no chapters or breaks, but the whole books reads like a monologue by Dolores. Dolores was a housekeeper for an elderly wealthy woman, Vera Donovan. She starts the story off by being interviewed by police and telling us that she did not murder Vera Donovan, even though her death seems to be somewhat similar to the death of Dolores' husband 30 years ago, both dying after a fall. Dolores says she did not kill Vera, however, she did murder her husband Joe 30 years ago. What follows this confession is the story of her life and how she came to murder Joe… An alcoholic, Joe beat up Dolores regularly and a tyrant. When Dolores fears that he abuses their young daughter, she can't take no more.
Dolores is a simple but energetic and witty woman, and that's how the writing is. It is indeed quite different from the usual King stories, however, any fan will recognise his unique writing style. Apart from Dolores, Joe and Vera there are not a lot of characters in this book, again something King does very well (Gerald's Game has only 2 characters I think throughout the whole book - maybe a few minor ones mentioned).This is a hard-hitting story of abuse, courage but also of wonderful friendship which Dolores found.
The unique style of this book (monologue) does get some getting used to, but you will be rewarded with a beautiful story.
9 March 2014
Title
| How To Knock A Bravebird From Her Perch |
Author
| D. Bryant Simmons |
Publisher
| Bravebird Publishing LLC |
Publication Date
|
2 Jan 2014
|
Pages
| 345 |
Genre
| African American Fiction, woman's life story, abuse and courage |
This is the first book in the Morrow girl series. A story of domestic abuse, a story of a women's courage and survival.
Belinda, or Pecan as she is known, is born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1953 and lovingly brought up by her father after her mother disappears. Her father's love for Pecan is simple and deep, but he can't be there for her any more when she marries the first man who showed any kind of interest in her. Ricky Morrow is a professional boxer and the young couple move to Chicago as Ricky needs his boxing career to take off.
Right from their first meeting, Ricky shows very little respect for Pecan, but she doesn't know any better and only looking back, realised that the first signs had always been there that he is not a very loving man. When their first child, Nikki, can just about walk, and in her naiveness, Pecan tries to leave Ricky as she realises she doesn't really love him. So she just packs all her stuff in all bags she can find and walks out. But Ricky sees them walking down the road. And even though Pecan tries to play it down and tries to lie to him, he has been set off. He hits her, and again, and again, and again. From than on, she becomes his punching bag whenever he sees fit, whenever he thinks she might not be doing what she is supposed to be doing.
In time, the couple will have 4 girls, born shortly one after the other. Peacan's saving grace comes in the form of Ricky's aunt, Clara who more than once saves Pecan from her husband's fists by swinging the iron skillet. And than Peacan meets another man. Is she going to make the classic mistake of hurling herself into another relationship to escape from the horrific one she has? Isn't it too much to put on any man to 'rescue' her from an abusive relationship?
But Pecan is not only a weak and defenceless woman. Initally, for me she is just naive and as she has never known another relationship, just doesn't know any better. Later and with some life experience, she realised that it is very wrong but that doesn't help with the terrible fear he has instilled in her. And her children will always be her main concern. When Pecan says in her desperation that, from the bottom of her heart, she wishes Ricky would be dead, I did not only believe her and wished with her, heck, I wanted to go there myself and do the deed.
Yes, your emotions will lie raw. I've never experienced the things Pecan / Belinda went through and as horrific as the violence from Ricky was, sometimes I was also deeply shocked by the treatment she received from Social Services. Something tells me that those things are not entirely fictional and I can truly imagine that woman had to go through this. Luckily, there is now more awareness and help available with domestic violence. But still, the first step has to come from the victim.
Coming back to the book, the story is told with Pecan/Belinda as the narrator. The writing in her (slight) accent made her come alive for me. I also understand that the author will continue the story with the Morrow girls (Pecan's daughters). All of them are drawn to be very different characters, so I can't wait to see what's going to happen to them.
Invest in some time with Pecan and you'll find a friend.
Extract:
" Huh? Think you about to out-think me? That I can't see what's right up in my face? Who is he?"
"Who - he ain't nobody - I mean…ain't nobody."
"You fucking around on me?"
"No. I…I was just going to the store. I was…I was coming right back." First one hurt the most. The slap. Backhanded me like I was just a fly.
=
"HAVE YOU LOST YO' MIND, PECAN? HAVE YOU?"
"No. Maybe. I don't think so."
"You got four babies out there that need they mama! And you got a man that's crazy."
"That ain't my fault. He'd be crazy no matter what I did. Why you don't talk to him about his craziness? Instead of putting it on me…"
"You a grown woman, Pecan. You know what you doing. You know. You gonna mess around and get yourself killed!"
"Least I got to have some happiness before it happened."
I have received this book from the author in return for an honest review
About the author:
Biography (taken from Amazon)
Official Bio:
D. Bryant Simmons was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She has earned a B.A. in Sociology and a M.Ed. in Elementary Education. She is a mother, entrepreneur, and advocate for female empowerment.
D. Bryant Simmons was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She has earned a B.A. in Sociology and a M.Ed. in Elementary Education. She is a mother, entrepreneur, and advocate for female empowerment.
In her own words:
I'm a creative person with an adventurous spirit. I've dabbled in a lot of different forms of creative expression hoping to shed light on realities that society tends to overlook. I studied photojournalism because I wanted to tell stories but it never occurred to me to take creative writing for that! Lol. Loving to read doesn't always translate into loving to write so I was surprised when that happened for me.
I'm a creative person with an adventurous spirit. I've dabbled in a lot of different forms of creative expression hoping to shed light on realities that society tends to overlook. I studied photojournalism because I wanted to tell stories but it never occurred to me to take creative writing for that! Lol. Loving to read doesn't always translate into loving to write so I was surprised when that happened for me.
My writing style is very much reflective of my personality. I'm horribly impatient--I want the gist in 5 seconds or less, none of this pussy-footing around. Just get to the point. And I love stories that grab at the core of me and make me feel something. I'm distrustful of happy endings and find beauty in survival.
www.dbryantsimmons.com
www.dbryantsimmons.com
1 February 2014
Title
|
Sickened
|
Author
| Julie Gregory |
Publisher
| Book Club Associates |
Publication Date
|
2005
|
Pages
| 244 |
Genre
| memoir, abuse, psychology |
from the blurp:
A young girl is perched on the cold chrome of yet another doctor's examination table, missing yet another day of school. Just twelve, she's tall, skinny and weak. Her mother, on the other hand, seems curiously excited. She's about to suggest open heart surgery on her child to 'get to the bottom of this'. She checks her teeth for lipstick and, as the doctor enters, shoots the girl a warning glance. This child will not ruin her plans. From early childhood, Julie Gregory was continually X-rated, medicated and operated on in the vain pursuit of an illness that was created in her mother's mind: Munchausen by Proxy, the world's most hidden and dangerous form of childhood abuse. Sickened is her story,
I don't usually read books from this genre, but it was offered as a freebie from a book club, and I will usually always give every book a go, as I like to experience different genres and also ' like to give a chance' to books which I would not normally pick up.
The book was very well written, engaging and easy to get into, and I can only comment Gregory for her bravery to tell her story. The book certainly tries to keep away from harsh/ OTT judgements and let you make your own mind up which I found quite refreshing for this genre. If you want to get an inside into this condition, than I would certainly recommend reading this book.
I couldn't help but think that the book read like ghostwritten. You know the type of stories I mean: where the ghostwriter says: Ok, tell me everything about you and I'm going to put it in an accessible story. I know the book is not ghostwritten, and I think this may be inadvertendly a strategy of Gregory to cope with telling her story and detach herself from the horrors she has experienced?
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