"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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"The Guestbook" by Holly Martin

Image
Welcome to Willow Cottage - throw open the shutters, let in the sea breeze and make yourself completely at home.  Oh, and please do leave a comment in the Guestbook! Annie Butterworth is the landlady of Willow Cottage, a beautiful cottage in the English countryside with a colourful array of guests.  Every guest is encouraged to write their thoughts in the guestbook and do they ever!  Love, loss, happiness, sadness, guilt, affairs, births, and surprises, it’s all in there.  Even Annie’s life gets caught up in the book. As a young widow, Annie herself is going through some changes.  And the appearance of her brother-in-law, celebrity crime writer Oliver Black isn’t helping.  As the guests of Willow Cottage go about their seaside vacations, Annie and Oliver must figure out how to move on in their lives, and most importantly, if they will do so together. The Guestbook by Holly Martin is a lovely, sweet, and unique book.  Written in the format of notes left in the guestbook,
Read more

"Dreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home" by Esi Edugyan

Image
“But where are you from, really?” This is a question that Canadians of all walks of life are often asked.  Part of our identity as Canadians is that we all come from somewhere else, and no matter how long ago, it is a defining part of who we are.   But for many people, this question is about more than where their family came to Canada from.  For many, it brings about a question of home and belonging.  These are the ideas that Esi Edugyan explored in her 2013 Henry Kreisel Memorial Lecture, Dreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home .  Born in Canada to parents from Ghana, Esi Edugyan has travelled to and lived in various countries, all the while searching for her identity and coming to understand the meaning of home. As an author, Edugyan also reflects on Canadian literature and the notion of the “Canadian story.”  Her wildly successful novel, Half-Blood Blues , was set outside of Canada, and something she often heard was that it was not a typical Canadian novel.  But a
Read more

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

Image
I am so excited to be participating in the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop, hosted by Judith at Leeswammes' Blog . There are over 50 participants hosting giveaways on their blog between October 15 and October 19. Be sure to hop around and check out all the awesome giveaways! My Giveaway Award season is underway in the Canadian literary world and to celebrate I would like to send someone some fabulous Canadian literature. One lucky winner will be able to choose which book they would like me to send them. Here are the choices (click on title to find out more about the book): A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews (bought at library sale) Life of Pi by Yann Martel The Last River Child by Lori Ann Bloomfield The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden (bought at library sale) Two of the books were bought at a library sale as mentioned. They are still in good condition but are obviously well-loved and do still have the library stickers on them. The other t
Read more