"Web of Angels" by Lillian Nattel

On the surface, Sharon Lewis is your average mother. She is the centre of a vibrant house full of three kids and a loving husband. She has a close-knit extended family and lives in a quiet, community-oriented neighbourhood. But Sharon keeps a secret from everyone but her husband.


Everything is going well for Sharon until the day Heather Edwards, a pregnant teenager living down the street, commits suicide. This act, and the fallout from it, has a significant impact on the Lewis family and leads to the unravelling of Sharon's secret - she has DID, dissociative identity disorder. And the multiples who make up Sharon are aware of a secret that exists in Heather Edwards' family, one that threatens the life of Heather's surviving sister.


Web of Angels by Lillian Nattel is a heartbreaking, haunting and beautiful story. It takes the painful and unfortunate reality of evil that exists in this world and deals with it in a kind and loving manner. The character of Sharon is beautifully crafted and obviously well-researched. Nattel has taken DID and made it understandable for those who are not familiar with it.


What was impressive about this book is that it's not about a woman and her DID, it's about a woman who happens to have DID. We are able to view, understand and learn about the disorder in the larger context of a crime happening within a close knit community. Sharon and her multiples are loving, strong and courageous, fighting for what is right at all costs.


This book is full of sensitive topics but covers them in a manner that is not overly graphic. There is a lot to deal with and take in and the weak of heart may have trouble with some of it, but it is an important subject and Nattel's writing tackles the subject in the best way possible.


Web of Angels will most likely challenge your views and preconceptions of DID and open your heart to those who are dealing with it. You will be astonished by the way Nattel is able to take heart-wrenching topics and write them in such a beautiful way. A page-turner for sure, Web of Angels is a must-read.


Thank you to Random House of Canada for providing me with a copy of this book for review. The opinions expressed above are my own and I have received no compensation for this review.

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