Books I’m Reading….

Some of my favourites this month are:

Dreamer’s Daughter: Surviving my Childhood and Raising my Father – Lori Thicke

After her mother abandons the family, her father tries to give his two young kids everything, he thinks they need. But… he ranks freedom as more important than a home, and the next big idea more important than security and their lives are turned upside down over and over again. This is an incredible story about chasing dreams, resilience in the face of adversity, and growing up (despite your family.) Bonus points for some of the story being set in Victoria.

Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage - Belle Burden

I had mixed feelings about this one. There are times when it’s hard to feel sorry for her. She comes from a world of privilege, so when her husband tries to take everything during their divorce, she’s worrying about losing the summer cottage, rather than how she’s going to feed her kids. But I loved watching her grapple with his sudden abandonment of their family (been there!) and seeing her struggle with her thoughts about whether a bad ending necessarily negates all the love that goes before.

Goodbye, Sweet Girl – Kelly Sundberg

This might have been the first time I’ve read a comparative book while I’m still in the process of editing my own. But I needn’t have worried I’d get our stories mixed up. Abuse is specific to each woman and also some patterns are exactly the same for all of us.

Kelly forgives her husband for ten years. She convinces herself it’s going to get better. All the while its actually getting worse. (Which is the nature of domestic violence.) It’s a well written exploration of the nuanced and complicated reasons why women stay in abusive relationships in general, and why Kelly stayed in particular.