Saturday, April 26, 2014

"The Kiss" (book review)

"The Kiss" by Kathryn Harrison
Published April 2011, 256 pages (paperback)
Read: September 2012

A very disturbing book in its taboo subject matter (father/daughter incest), "The Kiss" is an incredibly honest and well-written memoir. As a therapist reading such a sad, dysfunctional narrative, I couldn't help but feel a sense of deju vu....the narrative of "The Kiss" paralleling those of similar stories I've heard within the office walls of client sessions over the years. Tragic that this (incest) happens more than society is aware. Power, control, and shame are a potent formula for instilling secrecy in the trauma survivor. Finding the words to express the unspeakable to anyone is daunting enough, whether telling a trusted family member, friend, or even a therapist. Kathryn Harrison goes above and beyond, blowing the reader out of the water with her courage to make a traumatic experience public knowledge....and in the process conveying both a sense of hope and resiliency for incest survivors everywhere.

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