One Woman's story
of an abusive childhood.
Of a past tearing apart a life.
This is a story
of how a woman learned to survive.
Of how she turned her past on itself.
Most importantly,
this is a story
of how one woman survived herself.
Bits of the Story
So Jane is being interviewed by a young woman who hears of how Jane has used her own past to help others, but what this young woman learns is the heartache and pain that Jane went through and still goes through on a daily basis.
The interviewer and the reader learn the details of Jane's sexual abuse, her father's gross (the book explains the use of this word) infidelity resulting in her parent's divorce, the change in her mother after the divorce (a change that caused a very unstable mother daughter relationship), the abusive stepfather, the suicide of family members, and Jane's attempted suicide.
Yet, the interviewer and the reader also learn of Jane's success in many areas of her life (sports, writing, etc.). These successes were what kept Jane going despite what was happening at home and in her head. You also learn of the relationships that saved Jane's life and how these people became the foundation that held her up through everything bad.
The book does focus largely on Jane's younger years since those years are what shaped her into what she become. Yet, there are also heart wrenching tales of her older years as well. Most importantly, although her heart was breaking most of her life, her heart was always victorious even when she didn't know it.
A few notes about the book
The book contains an author's note at the beginning that the story is intended to be read as if the character is speaking to you. In (book) reality, she is being interviewed by a young woman who is also an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
The story shows that although Jane is 76 years old time doesn't necessarily heal old wounds, but time allows for one to learn how to deal with them and how to use those wounds in helping others survive. That is the overall message within the book, but it is reading about the bumpy path Jane took to get to that point that brings about the familiarity that others (abuse survivor or not) may find they have in common with Jane.
Yes, the book is based on true events. No, Jane is not a real person, but there are many aspects of my own life that I have placed in the book and that is why much of it was quite difficult for me to write. Because of the fact many parts of my life were fed into a fictional character, I will be writing a future book describing what was and what wasn't based on my life. I just don't know when that book will be written since I have another project in the works right now.
Questions
Questions to keep in mind after reading these details about the book that are revealed in the book:
When did Jane's abuse start and how long did it last?
What was Jane's mother like before the painful divorce?
How was Jane's relationship with her mother later in her life?
What was Jane's relationship like with her father after the divorce?
What was Jane's relationship like with her father in her adult years?
Does she get married?
Does she have kids?
What's this heart wrenching event that occurs in her older years? (Hint: she has to use her past to help heal someone very very close to her)
