|
DiDonovan
, March 29, 2015
(view all comments by DiDonovan)
What usually takes chapters to tell is narrated quickly in a few swift, poignant paragraphs in the opening of Willows Weeping: a father betrayed, a mother abused, the kids in foster care. So it's evident that the crux of this story doesn't assume the usual path of focusing just on these very early events, but chooses to place its focus over an entire timeline of experience.
With a mother good at 'making big scenes' and a failed family counseling session that pinpoints the source of the problems as the parents and not the author, things go from bad to worse.
The evolutionary nature of abuse is a strong thread that links the scenes and struggles presented in Willows Weeping. Situations don't magically resolve as the author ages: they become more complex as she begins to understand the psychology of blame, abuse, and the cycles of responses it presents between generations. 'Unsupportive' doesn't begin to describe the levels of pain the author experiences not just from extended family, but from her own father and mother.
Half the book focuses on this soul-stifling childhood. The other half sparkles with hope as Reigns comes into her own powers.
The end result is a wrenching, powerful personal reflection of past, present and future, documenting the survival process in a manner that will be familiar and inspiring to any who come from a stifling, unsupportive family in search of achievement and success.
The essence of a life well lived against all odds is what makes Willows Weeping an ultimate success story.
|