A true account
Weight Of Dysfunction
A woman's journal from inside an abusive marriage, kept from 1981 to 1992. Not a memoir written at a safe distance — the entries as they were made, while it was still happening.
If reading about her situation helps even one person see their relationship for what it is, I have fulfilled my purpose.
Katherine L. Carter, on why she published it
What it is
Eleven years, chronicled as they happened. A true accounting of events from one woman's perspective, with some names omitted or changed.
She had been with her abuser since her early teens. He was the only man in her life — her sun, moon and stars. She tries hard. She wants to make it work. That is the part the book refuses to simplify, and the reason it is difficult to read.
Readers who have never been near it arrive with one question. Katherine puts it in the description herself rather than waiting for somebody else to ask:
There will be times in the book you may ask, “why did she keep taking it, why didn’t she leave him?” Many of you know that is easier said than done.
People stay, and make excuses for the people hurting them, for reasons of their own. The book is written for the reader who might recognise something of their own life in it — and, in recognising it, be able to name it.
Before you start
This book describes domestic abuse in detail. If you are living something similar, read it when you have room to — and know that help exists, is free, and is there at any hour.
National Domestic Violence Hotline — 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.
Harbor of Hope