🌊 "One Woman Falling" 🌊 (2019) - Book Review
MY REVIEW
Series:
Whispers of Grace (Book 1)
Paperback:
348 pages
Publisher:
Mountain Brook Ink (July 15, 2019)
Language:
English
ISBN-10:
1943959714
ISBN-13:
978-1943959716
Click Picture for Purchase Link
“Who will
stand with her when everything comes crashing down? Cassie Peterson lives in an
invisible prison of fear, chained by self-doubt and kept guard by a relentless
warden—her husband.
Derrick’s
physical and verbal abuse as well as his alcoholism have left Cassie alienated
from her family, without friends, and certain she can’t survive on her own.
After an unexpected police visit, Cassie realizes the survival of her
four-year-old daughter, Renee, depends on Cassie’s courage to leave. What she
doesn’t plan on is Derrick’s vengeful custody fight. While navigating the
treacherous waters of divorce, Cassie is encouraged by her spunky new friend,
Missy, to pursue her love of waterfalls.
Cassie
finds solace in the waterfalls that she can’t explain. Meanwhile, unexpected
help in her divorce case comes from Brian Sutton, an attorney at the firm where
Cassie works—but what price will she ultimately pay for his assistance? As
Derrick’s threatening behavior escalates, Cassie questions the choices she has
made.
Why is she
drawn to waterfalls during this chaotic time? How much will her daughter suffer
through the custody battle—and can she ever find her way back to forgiveness
and a loving God?”
Thank you in advance to the author, Melanie
Campbell, and JustRead Publicity Tours for providing a complimentary review copy. A positive review was not required. All words and thoughts are my
own.
There might be some content warnings for
readers who have issues/struggles with certain subjects:
* Divorce
* Alcoholism
* DUI
* Child Custody
* Verbal Abuse
* Physical Abuse
* Domestic Violence
This is not an easy read despite it being a Contemporary
Christian Fiction novel. It will be painful for the reader to read this,
especially those who have gone through it.
The writer herself has gone through something similar
which was painful and she at first didn’t want to write it.
I’m glad she did. And, I hope it inspires other
women to stand up and take care of themselves, and remove themselves from an
abusive situation.
With that said …
Obviously the subject this book is based on
will be troubling and triggering. As I had read another similar book last year,
this was much better than that one in terms of the realities. This was far less
brutal than “Lulu’s Café” by T.I Lowe. But, neither one shies away from the
realities of domestic violence.
Told in three parts: “The Rapids”, “The Fall”,
and “The River”; Campbell brings an authentic approach with a vivid reality to
the issues described. In this book though, the couple shares a four (4) year
old daughter who doesn’t understand the dynamics of her parents’ marriage.
The realistic alienation of Cassie from family
and friends places her in a lonely place. However, when her “Nannie”
(grandmother) calls the police after over-hearing an argument between Cassie
and Derrick, I felt hopeful. Yet, Derrick manipulates the situation, or tries
to, to his advantage.
It proves to be the catalyst Cassie needs to
stand on her own. Despite not being able to afford an attorney, Cassie does get
some legal advice. And, she has the help of some co-workers to get her through,
though she has doubts and valid concerns.
But, as Campbell eloquently writes in “One
Woman Falling”, it is never easy to leave an abusive situation. The reader is
thrown into the frightening reality of domestic violence. My heart alternately
broke and yet I was furious at reading some of the story – the unfairness and
at times, injustice of the situation.
One of the most heart-breaking points is how
deeply Renee, Cassie and Derrick’s child, is affected by it. “One Woman Falling”
highlights a systemic failure in how psychological trauma fails at being
addressed in a custody battle. Despite what the child is being put through, and
thus hurling at her mother – it isn’t considered “abuse”.
Renee’s “acting out”, particularly towards her
mother, is a perfect example of parental manipulation. Derrick’s threats are
even more infuriating. It isn’t something society enjoys talking about, let
along reading about – but it is something that NEEDS to be talked about.
Despite how painful this is to read, Campbell’s
honest approach draws the reader in and holds their attention. While the
subject behind the story is raw and deeply disturbing, it is well-written, and
definitely hard to put down. I found myself wanting to keep reading it simply
to see if Cassie’s nightmare was going to end.
There were a few things I wanted more of a
resolution to:
**
Renee’s attitude with her mom. I wanted to know more about what Derrick was
saying and doing to the child for her to “act out”
** A
resolution with Cassie and Brian
** What
ultimately was going to happen with Derrick and the DUI?
While this is a Christian Fiction book, there
are no overwhelming references to God or scripture. That’s not to say there isn’t
any – there are references, but they are done without feeling like the author
is preaching to the reader.
Given the material, this is a clean read with
the only objectionable word being wh@re.
RATING:
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐–
Goodreads
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐–
Bookbub
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐–
Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MELANIE CAMPBELL wrote her first story when she was eight years old and has been in love
with the power of storytelling ever since. She lives in Oregon’s beautiful
Willamette Valley with her husband, three children, and several spoiled pets.
She can be found on the following social media
accounts:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelanieJean_27
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