Signs in the Rearview Mirror: Leaving a Toxic Relationship Behind by Kelly Smith
Synopsis:
What kind of person ends up in a toxic relationship? And why does she stay? This searingly honest novel answers both those questions head-on. Coming out of a failing marriage, Kelly turns to Gabe out of fear of being alone. Her gradual slide into danger is at once terrifying and inevitable, and the steps she takes to get out of it will both inspire and offer hope.
In Signs in the Rearview Mirror: Leaving a Toxic Relationship Behind we have Kelly Smith, a talented well put together woman. She is separated from her husband whom she has 3 children with. She sees an old school mate, Gabe, on Facebook and reluctantly friends him. They begin a relationship, but Kelly is mourning her divorce. She can’t talk to Gabe about it because he has a bad temper and won’t understand. As the story progresses we learn about Kelly’s difficult childhood with her alcoholic father. Gabe reassures her that she need not worry about alcohol problems with him, but he lied. In fact, he lied about many things.
Out of fear of being alone, Kelly stays with Gabe. But things get bad and he begins to abuse her. He calls her horrible names and is jealous of her every move. Kelly continues to stay with him. In the beginning the signs that Gabe was abusive were there. But she ignored them because she didn’t want to be alone and she was excited about her new relationship with Gabe. She begins to live in a whirlwind of abuse, name callings, one sided apologies and a cycle that never ends. How did she get herself into this situation? And how can she get out?
Signs in the Rearview Mirror: Leaving a Toxic Relationship is one woman’sfirsthand account of what it’s like to live in the cycle of abuse and how she got there in the first place. She had the best of intentions but made small choices here and there without thinking of what was really going on. She was blinded by the idea of love and spending her life with someone that seemed to be loving and caring. But things began to slowly change. Eventually she was being put down, manipulated, controlled and called the most horrible names, on a regular basis. She tells of her inspiring and brave escape from the abusive Gabe. Kelly also gives us her back ground from her previous marriage and her childhood. It is a very compelling and interesting read.
This is a poignant look at how easy it is for one to get sucked into an abusive relationship. It was not Kelly’s fault, she was manipulated, lied to and led into what she thought was a relationship of mutual care and love. It wasn’t until after the fact that she began to be mistreated. I really empathized and had compassion for Kelly, although she doesn’t write her story in a “feel sorry for me” way. She is very graceful and owns her own mistakes. This is an inspiring story, full of hope and a must read for those that are trying to break out of the cycle of abuse. If you are in a toxic relationship, this is the book for you. I enjoyed it immensely. It is very well written and composed. I was caught up in her story and read the book straight through in one sitting. I highly recommend Signs in the Rearview Mirror: Leaving a Toxic Relationship Behind by Kelly Smith to all readers.
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