Love and the Mystery of Betrayal

Summary: 

What is it like to recover from betrayal of trust today in a culture that is blind to the trauma and impatient with grief? When her long-time partner suddenly left her shortly before their wedding, the author found nothing had prepared her for the depth and duration of the pain. Despite having lived through her husband's death years earlier, she was stunned by the intensity of the suffering and could not understand why this shock hit so hard. Her loss of faith in this one person precipitated an existential and spiritual crisis that called her very understanding of human nature into question and she wanted to know why.  As she wrested with what turned out to be a massive trauma, she began to keep careful notes of her inner life--she wanted to capture the paradoxes of love, grief and longing mixed with bewilderment and post-traumatic stress.  With bracing frankness and fearlessness, she succeeds.  

“Love and the Mystery of Betrayal” seamlessly blends research and reflection, love and heartbreak, rage and transformation, and the personal with the collective. The deep, engaging writing provides the type of solace only a kindred spirit who has been there can. This achingly moving chronicle and meditation on the mysteries of love and betrayal shows how faith and love can triumph even after the most life-shattering revelations and loss.  (Summary and cover provided as part of the review.)

Review:

This was a fascinating book.  Though I am not in the midst of coping with betrayal I was intrigued to read Sandra’s book.  It is deeply personal and I believe it would be extremely beneficial for those going through trauma or PTSD.  One thing I found thought-provoking was the comfort this book gave me thinking back on events many years previous.  Though my personal experiences are not nearly to the extent Sandra’s were, her commentary validated some experiences I previously had.  I will note this book discusses many idea that were a little “out there” for me, so it is best read with an open mind!

Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of Sage's Blog Tours.

Rating: 4 stars!

Who should read it? People struggling to recover from current or previous betrayal.