The Laid Daughter --- Book Review
There has been a lot of publicity lately centered on the issue
of child molestation. Child molestation is a horrific form of
child abuse that leaves its victims with a deep loss of self and
the inability to cope with life's challenges.
Another form of child abuse, that leaves its victims powerless
and confused, is incest. Incest is a topic that most families
refuse to discuss and sometimes deny that it ever existed. The
Laid Daughter, by Helen Bonner is such an example.
In this riveting novel, the author discusses her own issues with
incest. What is so unique about the novel itself is that the
author has been journaling her strange feelings for over 20
years before she realizes that her journal entries depict her
true life experiences.
The author takes us on her journey through self discovery and
healing by allowing us to see her daily struggles in life. She
is plagued with failed marriages and her inability to have
honest and open relationships with others. She cuts herself off
from her family and friends. There is, however, something very
striking about Ms. Bonner's character. She is able to hold down
a job and build herself a lucrative career while dealing with
the incest issue.
Going through the healing process was not an easy road for Ms.
Bonner. Early on, she was given erroneous advice from some early
therapist. She found herself dropping out of therapy with the
belief that somehow she could conquer her demons on her own. She
then seeks therapy through a wonderful therapist by the name of
Glenda Parkinson who discovers that Helen was not just a
survivor of incest, but she also suffered from a Multiple
Personality Disorder.
The therapist also expresses how quickly Helen was able to work
through her demons as shown by the following excerpt:
"Helen spent only a year in intense psychotherapy with me. The
average length of treatment time is somewhere between five and
ten years. She was highly motivated and followed her gut
instincts in making therapeutic decisions for herself. She read.
She wrote. She practiced suggestive directives. She attended a
national conference for adult survivors. Her art work was
another vehicle for self-understanding. She used relaxation
techniques when feeling panicky. She begin to fill her new
"house" by acknowledging and fulfilling the needs of her
integrating selves. Decisions Helen made for herself rather than
against herself were the catalyst toward wholeness."
As you can see, by the above excerpt, healing from incest or any
other form of childhood abuse can be done with hard work and
determination. I would recommend this find piece of work to
anyone who has suffered the pain and anguish of child abuse or
to anyone who wants to discover how they can make changes in
their own life that can help them move forward to living life to
its fullest.
Copyrighted 2005: Faye Brown. All Rights Reserved. Faye Brown is
the author of the upcoming novel, Strange Fruit In A Small Town.
Her website address is: http://www.newnovel.bravehost.com Her
blog address is: http://www.fayebrown.blogspot.com.