Local Purchase: On the Other Side of the Storm

Paperback copy of “On the Other Side of the Storm” signed by the author.

This book is a collection of essays, laments, poems, and prayers about having a mentally ill and abusive mother who didn’t want to get better. Certainly, the content is hard and deep and uncomfortable—but so are mental illness, trauma, and abuse.

This is a book for people in hard places. It's for the daughter of the borderline mother. For the individual abused and manipulated and controlled by a mentally ill family member. For the Christian who seeks help and is met with entirely unhelpful platitudes about having more faith and enduring abuse. For the person who’s so desperately tried to fix the broken person that they’ve developed anxiety and disordered eating and abundant self doubt.

I hope these words bring a sense of being seen and known and understood to people who feel confused and isolated—people whose worlds are on fire. Because while being understood doesn’t fix everything, but it certainly makes us feel less alone. And that’s the first step towards healing.