The Man Behind Handsome

by Pat Trask

201 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2012

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author does a great job of describing their lives on the farm in Saskatchewan in the 30's and 40's. Her vivid descriptions of farm chores and hardships made this book a somewhat interesting read since I am from Saskatchewan.
Throughout the first half of the book, she makes subtle hints about the brutality and bullying that her, her sisters and her mom endured from her father but most of what she says seems very guarded. It's not until 3/4 into the book that she finally reveals any feelings that they had about his treatment to all of them. You get the sense that she is trying to protect her mother, but I never really understood why they had to put up with it, other than a quick explanation that there were no programs available for their mother to go for help (?)
She states at the beginning of the book that "this huge, fearful man ... never once molested his children", but during one of his tirades, he would cuss and rant at them for 20 minutes, calling them vile names, then would kick and/or throw them across the room. (Sorry, but, personally, I would have shot him, and it most definitely never would have happened twice).
Then in the second last chapter, she mentions that they had a hired hand that came into their life and was, apparently, totally devoted to their dad, yet he did nothing to stop any of the abuse (?) She never really says.....
I hope for her sake that this book can spread her message: "If I can influence even one parent to change his or her domineering attitude, or offer hope to a suffering child who is being controlled or bullied, then telling this story will have accomplished my purpose."
I hope so too. But right now, after finishing it, I just feel anger that they let it happen.

[Lenore Schur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put it down. I read half the book in the first sitting! It was very different from what I thought it would be. I thought it would be very hard to read and assumed it would be a ‘Dad bashing’ story written out of bitterness. Instead the author just told the facts and let the reader come to a conclusion. I loved the way the author described every part of life in such detail that it made me feel like I was there. I truly felt the pain. Reading the outcome of Bea’s life at the end was heart wrenching. I thought for sure she would have been the one to suffer the least amount of damage in adulthood.

[Michyla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, though the story lagged a bit in the middle. The character development is good, and Trask's words paint a clear picture of pioneer life on the prairies. The story line is mostly based on the labor-intensive work demanded of the author and her young sisters on their prairie farm, which although healing to write about I'm sure, doesn't make the most captivating of story lines. I find it interesting to learn about early pioneer life, but this is not a book I will read a second time.

[Wilfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. The story is very personal and at times I felt I was an intruder into someone's life and at other times, I'm thinking, this was my life. Although the subtitle suggests the story is going to be primarily about the abuse of the father, the story is actually a historical account of the lives of prairie folk in the thirties and forties. Read in a single sitting on a Sunday afternoon, I am left with lingering thoughts and memories.

[Debbie ☕️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a very short easy read but I really enjoyed it!

[Erin Tempel]

Along with the story of an abusive relationship, this is a detailed account of prairie pioneer life. Hard times indeed.