Real Beast: Abused

by Brian Arthur Levene

What becomes of a marriage to someone who has been sexually, physically, and emotionally abused for fifteen years by their own father? Real Beast: Abused is a gripping and compelling true story of two people whose love becomes corrupted by their past, family ties, cultures, and their Muslim and Christian religion.

The strikingly beautiful Laila, a Pakistani Muslim’s life is plagued by every type of abuse from a young age, which leaves her distorted, conflicted, and questioning her sexual identity. Her husband Arthur, falls victims to Laila’s attempts to replace her own culture and religion with a material and carnal way of life. Soon he realizes there's a hidden side to Laila long term agenda.

Real Beast: Abused is a must read for anyone with an urge to observe the long term effects of abuse and the melting of different and often opposing culture's ideals on Sexuality, Loyalty and Love.

The ebook version of this release is on November 12th, 2013

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Relationships, Psychology

232 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2013

About the author

Thanks for stopping by my page! I try to make sure that my books entertain even when writing about true events so hopefully you will enjoy. I like nonfiction more than fiction but try to write both. It all depends on the mood and what’s transpiring in my life at that particular time. I am a Jamaican born, New York-bred writer who has completed six books so far and another that I am currently writing. The next book will be out in February 2014.

Not Easily Washed Away was my first offering, which details the abuse of a young woman who is very close to me. The traumatic events that occurred within her life and my education in psychology moved me to write books which give voice to individuals who have suffered from mild to extreme trauma, detailing how their psyche changes during and after abuse.

My new book, Real Beast: Abused, chronicles the behavior that someone exhibits after they suffered through a crisis or a traumatic event. What makes a Real Beast? Mental trauma, addictions, and radical fundamental beliefs cause a complex multi-dimensional cascade of brain reactions that start immediately after acceptance that can lead to primitive behavior, causing someone to be perceived as a Real Beast.

I’m pretty sociable and easy to find. I’m on twitter at @B_RealBeast, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brian.levene1 and on my website at http://www.gullygods.com I am always interested in meeting new people from around the world so please don't be shy and give me a shout!



Bio: Brian Arthur Levene was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on October 24, 1973. He grew up in Back Bush, one of Kingston’s roughest urban ghettos. His mother taught kindergarten until leaving Jamaica in 1983 for the United States, leaving Brian and his older sister behind.

Two years later, Brian passed his sixth-grade exams and earned a place at Jamaica College, one of Kingston’s top five high schools. In 1988, before he graduated, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever ripped through Jamaica, displacing hundreds of Kingston’s citizens, including Brian. He reunited with his mother in Mount Vernon, New York, where she lived. In the States, Brian’s interests shifted from academics to writing poetry and songs, producing music, and playing semi-professional golf.

In 2001, Brian moved to Palm Beach, Florida, to focus strictly on semi-professional golf, traveling to tournaments throughout the United States. In 2007, he relocated to Yakima, Washington, after deciding to pursue a career in the health field in order to benefit others. After receiving an Associate’s Degree in Science at Yakima College, he started school at Washington State University, in January 2008. He transferred to Southern Connecticut State University in August, where he studied public health. He started to write his first and second novels in his senior year.

Graduating in December 2010 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health and Epidemiology, Brian published this first novel, Not Easily Washed Away, in April of 2011 while pursuing his Master’s Degree in Forensics Psychology.
Brian’s co-author is his wife, whose pen-name is Anon Beauty and whose life inspired this book.

Reviews

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

*This review has spoilers.

When I began reading this book I thought the story will be about marriage with mix religions and problems that may occurred because of this. We all know that being a Muslim or being a Christian is something completely different. Well, the story is not about that. It's actually strange to review this book because the story is true. So it's like commenting someone's personal life and choices. It's especially hard because I don't agree with a lot of things. I'm just going to be brutally honest.

If I comment the writing first… I like the style but it is true that the book has some typos and it is confusing reading it at times, because the author jumps from one timeline to another. Like for example when he writes that they were just students but his daughter is 20 years old…. I was really confused..but okay I later realized he returned to school later and it was taking him 8 years already by then.

All of the people mentioned in this book are one big mess. All of them. Not one of them is normal. None of them live their life normal, have their values and priorities in check, know how to love, respect, value, what's wrong, what's right. A lot of them belong to prison for some time and all of them need psychiatric treatment. I mean oh dear God.. so much incest, mental, physical, sexual abuse, lies, beating, insults, teenage behavior, yelling, going back and forth… It's just nonsense and I feel like I need therapy after reading this, it was so exhausting.

It's very obvious that Arthur blames Laila for all this mess. She was abused basically by everyone in her family so she is damaged so she is to blame. Well, I don't agree. Yes, she grew up in a fucked up family and she obviously doesn't have any role models of how a human being should act, love, live… She should be psychiatrically treated for this and not be involved in any kind of love relationship before she recovers.

Arthur doesn't make wise choices …at all. The first time he met her, she needed alcohol, really bad. Umm, isn't that a red flag right away? Why start a relationship with an unstable person? I don't understand that. Like you want troubles in your life. And no, you shouldn't make a decision based on dreams of a beautiful girl that looked like Laila. Plus I'm sure there were hundreds of red flags right at the beginning.

And then a bunch of problems start. And again, I don't get why would anyone stay in a relationship like that. If you do, you are responsible for everything that happens, because you let it happen, you didn't end an unhealthy love relationship. Arthur basically always jumps from one relationship to another. And not only that, he gets married and has children with them. Marriage with Laila is his third or forth marriage and I think he has children with three of them, so he doesn't take care for his kids, they don't have their father in their everyday life. This is wrong on so many levels. I think it's fine to jump from one relationship to another and be on and off with girls and to have a temperamental relationships full of passion and fighting..when you are a teenager. Because you learn through this kind of experiences and you let it out of your system. But I think you have to get your shit together by the time you're .. I don' know thirty. And then you don't repeat your childish mistakes and you can be a partner to your partner that knows how to love, cherish, respect, support, admire, uplift, make laugh, motivate… this is how a relationship should look like. And THEN you have kids..and you choose a good partner to have kids with. Having kids is something you should think through not act on a pulse. Because these kind of kids suffer so much in life, because they don't have the family, the parents they should have and deserve. And they grow up in adults that have a bunch of problems and they just repeat the cycle.

Arthur knows how she was treated in her own family and yet, when times get tough and they are in the middle of major blow out and fight..he beats her, calls her a bitch and basically rapes her. But it seems that this doesn't bother her, because she actually enjoys when someone treats her this way, which is logical, because this type of victims start to enjoy in it after some time. Well not everyone, but it is common. For someone that wants to become a clinical psychiatrist he should know better. Plus I would expect from my clinical psychiatrist (if I needed one) to have their personal life in order. Because how can you treat people if your personal life and choices are so unhealthy?

Plus he runs away as soon as things get tough…(in previous relationships) and in this relationship too in a way. And he fucks a jogger after one fight. And exchange sex texts with a reader of his books from another country. I find it weird that although he finds out that Khalid (a married man) wants his wife and is ''in love'' with her, they (Arthur and Laila still move in Chicago near to him and actually hang out with him. I mean..really? What do you expect to happen? This Khalid guy is full of pathology too. Like all of them. He later hits on Arthur's 20 years old daughter. The daughter, Shianne has her own weird things going on. She searches for women on Craig's list. And it seems that Laila and her flirt a lot. Laila wants to fuck her. And she wants to have sex with women (nothing wrong with being a lesbian but here are some other things that are totally wrong) and she wants to have sex with some beautiful, young girl. I mean… Have I convinced you already that they are all messed up? I guess Laila wants to abuse some girl like she was abused. She of course doesn't see it this way, for her is something erotic, something that turns her on. Again, very common for abused victims to abuse other people. It's the horrifying cycle if the victim doesn't receive treatment.

And all this gambling in Casinos. That's not healthy either. And it doesn't matter how much money it brings. It's not normal to live like this.

Laila was abused by her own father, aunt, stepmom and has inappropriate relationship with her brother and she also slept with her sister. The only normal thing Arthur should do when he met her was (even though he didn't know the whole truth about her past) to make sure she gets some help and to just be her friend.

And the threesome is another big mistake. And all this back and forth and then sending her the ''perfect'' text. How he won't repeat any of theshit that happened and they will both get their life in order…just a bunch of unrealistic things that remind me of a teenage act. A teenager thinks that you can just erase everything that happened, hide it under a rug, pretend it never happened and they will never make a mistake again. Reality doesn't work this way and of course nothing changed for them. And it bothered me how easily he just left his young son and daughter to leave with Laila. Both Laila and Shianne were totally unstable and that didn't bother him? It really is obvious he doesn't care very much what happens with his kids. He says one second how something he did wasn't right and that he needs to stop doing all this self-pity but it all stays with words. Nothing changes. Like his mother said, less words, more action.

I think that everyone that has a lot of unsuccessful relationships should stay single at least of a year or two. Work on themselves, get their life in order, adopt a healthy lifestyle and only then, when the person knows how to love, finds a partner.

[Abby]

I have won this book, and am looking forward to reading this book when it arrives.

I received a copy of Real Beast: Abused thanks to Goodreads First Reads (Thanks Brian!)

[Heather Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell into reading this book, I was not really sure what to expect but was will to read it and see where that took me!!! I'm glad I did!! WOW is all I can say, just WOW! The main characters are Arthur and Leila and their lives are true craziness. She is a pakistan muslim that has been abused by her family and he falls in love with her. Everything that follows is the extreme highs and lows of that love. When one loves so much and the other has been raised to use that only bad can come of it!! The style of writing is an interesting and belieable way to get across what is happening. This was a fast read for me because I had to know what was going to happen next!! I was left with many questions that I hope I'll get answers to!!! Pick it up and read it you wont regreat it you will be that drawn in!!!

[Marlene Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads giveaway. I didn’t know the author , so I didin’t know what to expect.
The book is the true story of the author’s marriage and it is written with lots of emotion.
I found it sometimes difficult to follow in places, especially due to the jumpy nature of the timeline and sometimes the truth of the story made stop reading because it was really painful to believe someone lived those situations and survived to tell it…
I enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it only to adults who have an open mind and a high self-esteem…

[a_tiffyfit]

This was a rollercoaster ride for me as a reader: ups, downs, twists, turns, I wasn't quite sure what could possibly come next. It's narrated by "Arthur" as he is disclosing the mental anguish he experienced through the course of his relationship with his wife, "Laila." Laila, a Pakistani muslim immigrant, is young, beautiful, and so emotionally disturbed due to the abuse she suffered at the hands of family members as a child. Arthur falls in love with Laila and is determined to prove the world wrong: that their love can transcend two opposing backgrounds coming together. It is more than a religious difference, but also a cultural divide that these two are fighting along with the demons of Laila's past that affect her every day life, the way she approaches her marriage, and causes her to act out in destructive, and self-destructive, manners.

If you've ever kept a journal or a diary, I'm sure your entries are much like this narration -- totally based on emotion and tends to jump from one horror to the next to the elated times, etc. The narration jumps in time from recollection to recollection and, at first, it was a bit difficult for me to keep up with. With the prelude, you can tell the narrator is expecting complete and full sympathy for what he experienced. And in the first part of the book, you question that greatly. I really expected to be fully sympathetic based on the blurb, forgetting that the narrator is also a human and would not react perfectly to the situations he finds himself in.

As the relationship continues and develops, highs and lows, deteriorating, rebuilding, and disintegrating again, I went from sympathy to cold distance to holding my head and thinking that this could not possibly be real. Laila not only destroys the love and hope Arthur holds for her and their future, but she also manages to manipulate, cajole, corrupt, and damage his college-aged daughter.

I have to say: this is a difficult read because of its subject matter and the utterly raw emotions portrayed, plus the choppy continuity. Author Brian Levene does a marvelous job at capturing the disjointed thoughts and memory-jumping we do when distraught and when trying to figure out what happened, where we went wrong, etc. Our memories are never linear; we tend to jump from strong memory to strong memory and that is exactly what he wrote. The arguments between Laila and Arthur sometimes didn't make sense, but as you read on, you might find yourself turning back the page to that argument with an "ah now I see" moment.

While I realize this is a memoir, I found myself hoping for a "naaaaaaaaah this is just fiction" at the end. Sadly, not so. Phew. I cannot imagine living through such a gut-wrenching scenario.

Edited to note: I have cleared my rating on this book because I was asked to do a proofread. I felt leaving the rating up would be ethically questionable since I have now been contracted to do a proofread. I am leaving the review up, however since it was written before I was contracted! ~TKH

[Heather Doughty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not an easy book to read.

First, I praise the author for being very brave to talk about a horrible and personal time in his life. He was in an addictive, passionate, and poisonous relationship that he couldn't escape. His life was out of control, and he struggled to get through. It is not easy to openly put the worst part of yourself out in the open for people to read and criticize and judge. I always applaud people who are brave enough to do this.

Real Beast is the story of an abused woman who was abusive to the author who then became abusive to her. I have read plenty of autobiographies and fiction from the perspective of an abused person. I have rarely read the same from the perspective of the abuser. It is hard to understand how one becomes an abuser. The author tries hard to let us know how this happened to him. Reading about abuse and the toll it takes is not easy to read.

The structure of this book makes it difficult to read. It is not written in chronological order, more as a chaotic flow of thoughts. This is an excellent metaphor for how the author was feeling during this time in his life. But reading the string of seemingly unorganized thoughts makes it hard for the reader to keep up with what is going on and when it happened. The reader is left to to figure out how and when things transpired. I got a little frustrated with this and wanted to stop reading because of it.

I did not stop reading, though. I really wanted to know what happened. I wanted to know and read about how the author broke free from being abused and being the abuser. Every victim's story is different and how they survive is different. This is true for the author.

This book is worth a read. The author has some really beautifully written descriptions at times. He often has a great way with words. And if you are interested to know more about the woman in his relationship, he has another whole book dedicated just to her story. Maybe I should have read that first?

[Marie-Ève · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free paperback copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest (facultative) review.

REAL BEAST: ABUSED is a brutally honest memoir about the author's relationship with his wife, who is a victim of child abuse. The author describe in details the nonsense going on in their relationship, from Laila's twisted view of her own sexuality to her episodes of madness. Brian A. Levene doesn't hesitate to admit even his own actions that would be considered ''wrong'' but that are consequences of living with someone whose mental health is so deeply unstable. I am very curious now to read Brian A. Levene's previous book about Laila's past and what has been done to her.

At some points in the book I found it difficult to figure out where in time the events were happening. The only other downside is that there are many ortograph mistakes, but that doesn't make the story any less good.

Thank you for the copy of this book!

[Nancy Steinle gummel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, Real Beast: Abused by Brian Arthur Legend was a very somber book. It's depressing and dark. The material is hard to swallow, no pun intended. It mainly deals with Laila, Arthur (the author) and Shianne. Laila is Arthur's wife and Shianne is his daughter, Laila's step daughter. Laila is unable to feel or give love. She was sexually abused by her father and aunt, mainly her entire family. She was also physically and verbally abused. Her mother did not interfere. Arthur thinks that giving her unconditional love he can heal her. They have a four year old son, Sammy. She takes but doesn't reciprocate. You wonder if she has any feelings for Sammy other than to keep him away from his father. Laila and Shianne have an incestuous lesbian relationship. Shianne's head gets screwed royally by Laila. They all seem to feel money can buy them happiness. This is just a sad story. This is a first reads win and I have given my honest opinion.

[Cynthia Cene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a true story about a man who is married to someone that was abused growing up. It's not for the weak at heart.

This story was a real eye opener. It made me sad, happy, angry, and confused. But it also taught me some stuff. Try as you might but you can't help or change someone unless that person wants it. You can love someone till you are blue in the face and become blind to the world. When you finally open your eyes and everything crumbles around your feet it may be hard but you can always find the strength in yourself to pick up the pieces and rebuild. The most important thing I learned was don't lose yourself while trying to save someone else.

This book is intense but I have to thank the author for being strong enough to share one of the darkest times of his life. I would love to know more on what happened and if he were to continue with telling us his story I would read it in a heartbeat.

[Shadow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to except. You jump into this couples lives, learn who they are, what they've experienced, and you end up feeling like your the one put through the wringer. More than once, my emotions for this couple was all over place. Empathy, for both Leila and Arthur. Leila, subjected to terrible abuse growing up, and not very trusting, with herself or others. Arthur, so selfless in a lot of ways, used, abused and taken for a ride. I couldn't help but feel for both. Reading this, i couldn't help but want to help both characters and smack them...
If you like a couple working through problems, differences, ones from today and past, cultures, abuse, roller coaster emotions, family drama, etc. This is one you'll want to grab!
Its a fast read, quickly draws you in, throws you curves and leaves ya with questions...ones you can't wait to find answers to!

[Lauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through the Goodreads giveaway.

Wow, this is an intense memoir. The author tells the story of his rollercoaster marriage to a woman who was sexually and mentally abused as a child and how it has left her damaged and crippled their relationship.

I really enjoyed this book. My life story is very different from the author's, but I could still relate to him. I understand how he felt, if he just loved his wife enough, somehow it would correct her defects. From my own personal experience it was not a good strategy. I truly hope all the players in this book eventually find peace and happiness. I feel this story is going to stay with me a long time.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as a gift from the author Mr. Levene. I got it for joining a party on FB. This is based on a true story. This story takes u on a very different kind of ride. Has u feeling thing u some might never feel. This is a story of Arthur and Leila. Arthur was raised by his loving mother in a normal home. Leila was raised in a family of incest and had hateful things done to her. She was brainwashed and molested. This story had me feeling so many emotions. I really cant describe how I felt while reading this book. MR. Levene deserves 5***** just for putting his he'll on paper. A MUST READ.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book off goodreads. and WOW - this book is crazy! - Talk about a dysfunctional relationship. Even though the cover says it is a true story, I hope that this book is fictional. I have never read anything like it - It is a good read and I finished it quickly. I will look for the next installment as I am interested as to what happens to these characters.

[Karey Smtih · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has so many twists. The main characters are Arthur and Leila and talk about the epitome of true dysfunction. She is a pakistan muslim that has been sexually abused by her family . Arthur falls in love with her and they have some extreme relationship and it makes their marriage go thru high highs and very low lows. Good book and quick read!!!!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most interesting books I read. Very unique! :) Brian does a good job with writing his books. I'm looking forward to volume 2 of this book whenever it my be.

It's a shame Laila turned out to be the way she was.

[Deena · Rating 1 out of 5]

**Please keep in mind, I only read the first third of this book**

I received this book from a GoodReads giveaway. Many apologies to those who like this book. However, I could not get past the first third of this story. The author was in an obsessive and tumultuous relationship with a woman who faced sexual abuse at the hands of her family.

The biggest reason why I could not get into this story was the overall tone. I'm sure Brian Arthur Levene is a spectacular writer, however, in Real Beast he just sounded like a whining spoiled child. Perhaps he did not wait long enough after his divorce to pen this tale. Also, there were some significant contradictions and the timeline was confusing. Finally, I shouldn't be looking at typos in what I thought was a finished book and not a proof.

He claimed the first three years of his marriage was perfect, but there was little reference to it or did he? The author never gave a hard perspective of time. He started with how his marriage ended and spoke about his wife visiting her family in Pakistan, which allegedly was the reason his wife changed into someone he did not recognize. After, he recalled his time on the Jersey shore, gambling for extra cash to keep them there longer which was either before or after her trip to Pakistan. Then he accused his ex-wife of blindsiding him with ending their relationship, but he would refer to red flags. And honestly, your wife is cheating on you with your daughter, how can you be unaware there are severe problems with your marriage?

He seemed to put all the blame on his wife's issues. As someone who works in mental health, I have seen how much strain sexual abuse and continued mental control has on a family. However, when I am reading a book about the relationship, I expect more introspection and self analysis.

Obviously, this is hard to critique as it is a true story and I would hate to speak too harshly about the man as a person. But as a story, I was not impressed.

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book via Goodreads. When I read the blurb I was like wow this is going to real, and heartbreaking.
It took me a while to get to this book as I had others to read so when I actually sat down to read it as part of my new Paperback Friday post #PaperbackFriday I knew I needed to get busy reading it.
The book started off okay but by the middle of the book I literally felt lost as to what was happening. Even though this book is based on real events, the author jumped around so much that it was hard to even know what year we were in half the time.
In books like this it is always hard to get upset at the choices the person or persons make because we haven't gone through what they have, but some of the stuff I just was shocked at why Arthur stayed. Half the time I wondered where their young son was during all of this because he seemed to be there sometimes but other times he wasn't.
You can tell Arthur loves Laila but sometimes when there is more hate and physical violence and you have a way out you should take it. Arthur learns over the years what Laila went through with her family it was not normal. Being sexually abused by those that are called family is wrong on so many levels and you can understand why Laila acts the way she does. But when things start happening in his own home and he is questioning half the time what his daughter and Laila are doing you have to wonder where the heck was Arthur's mind at in all of this.
It was heartbreaking to read that people all around Arthur and Laila were not for their relationship because of their religions, it goes to show that sometimes you can not break the tradition no matter how much you love someone.
Even though like I said the book is real and raw, it just was hard to really get into. Not only with the decisions Arthur was making but the timeline of things that would happen from time to time, along with some grammar issues that were found within the story.

[Asil Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I won this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. In no way has this influenced my rating or opinion of this book. Thank you to Goodreads and to author Brian Arthur Levene for this opportunity.*



What kind(s) of Beast are you?

I felt the need to ask myself this question after reading this book by author Brian Arthur Levene.

Let me start by applauding the author for having the bravery to let people in to something very personal in his life that could be easily judged in a negative light by the masses. I myself have been guilty of judging people harshly, only to find myself days, months or years later 'guilty' of the same thing. I am constantly reminding myself to not judge too harshly, for I might react the same if the situation befell me.

I really felt like I was in the moment. I felt so many emotions while reading this book. (and a few that shocked the hell out of me.) I felt like I was having a conversation with him.......well....mostly just listening in awe. And learning to completely empathize with another human being whom I have never met face to face. To understand completely what would lead a person to react a certain way to any number of specific situations. Until you are in the moment, you have no clue how you will react and why you might even like your reaction, and not understand why.

We all have a Beast inside of us, some more than one, and they all feed off different things and some don't play well with others. I fully felt connected to the author and understood both him and his wife's Beasts.

I would highly recommend this book to my best of friends and to complete strangers. Pure and raw.

[Abbey · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's hard to say 'I did not like this' when it's a true and harrowing story of the authors life, but there really isn't anything else I can say to construe my feelings about this book. I will not comment on the story being told due to the personal nature of it to the author. And the way that it was written was my main problem anyway.

I found it difficult to follow in places, especially due to the jumpy nature of the timeline. Finding out something that means absolutely nothing and puzzles you to no end, then it being briefly rectified later on is not my idea of an 'ah moment' like Tiffany Halliday states in the prelude because I really don't think it was done in a coherent way. There are several mistakes/typos etc. within the novel that annoyed me, although this is probably because I was already not engaged with the narrative. My biggest problem was probably with the way that the messages were presented; bulky amounts of text that were repetitive for pages on end.

In all I think that this had potential to be an okay and more engaging read but the way that it was presented and told did it no justice.

For more on my thoughts, visit my
blog

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must first say that my rating is in no way a reflection on the material of the book, rather the structure. I applaud the author for putting his story out there and know that it could not be easy. I also think that for many people who may come from similar backgrounds this could be a story that they could possibly relate to.

That said, the writing itself could use some editing. With the proper editing the story could become tighter and flow more easily. I found the timeline very difficult to follow. Though, in the end the writer says that he was writing this book as the final meltdown was going on. This clears up things for me since it is obvious that the flow of the book is going with the flow of his moods. I think that while writing is a useful tool in times like that, it would have been better to shelve the book for 6mos to a year (or more) and then go back and reread it with less of an emotional state of mind. There are also many grammatical errors that could be corrected.

Overall, I could appreciate the story being told and would in no way dissuade anyone from reading this book. Just keep in mind the mindset the author was in when writing.

*I received a copy free of charge in exchange for my honest review*

[Jkhona · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the book because it was a memoir and the author had taken so many efforts to ensure the book reaches me. However, I get a second thought about whether this being the real story of an author? Indeed, the life is devastated when you are spending it with wrong person who should have never been your partner. But some how the it is uneasy for an Indian to digest the American culture of practicality, which is applied even to marriages. People get separated quicker than finding someone to marry, in US. Overall, I would say there was less insight on what actually happened with Laila in the childhood days or probably the author was less informed by Laila herself. Money is not everything in life and as money grows so does need for material things grows more than the spiritual awareness. Poeple make distances with God who is the ultimate creator and controller of humanity. This is what I hate from mankind. I would like the book for the font size being used. The cover was good as well and would make people wonder what am I reading when I used to read in public transit.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heartbreaking personal story focusing on Laila's culture and her perceptions. Addicted to cigarettes and alcohol, Laila is unable to breakaway from the hauntings of her past. There is a lot of themes presented some of which are unsuited for a younger audience, some of which are the addictions and the er... explored sexualities described in chapter 18. In reading this book you have to be open minded.

I received this book through Goodreads Firstreads

[Thea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would not recommend this book to my worst enemy. It was horrible! I was so grammatically incorrect that it was very difficult to read and by the end the only person that I had any sympathy for was the young son, Sammy. The man and woman were so self absorbed that they deserved each other.
Arthur did not have a job and drifted with no purpose in life. What a waste of print.

[Haven Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from a goodreads giveaway.

This is an incredibly hard story to read because its based on a true story. The amount of pain endured by just one family was enough to leave me breathless.

[Camille BLESS · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting book that i refused to put down. The storyline is captivating. It tells of love gone awry and how we can oftentimes forsake ourselves because of it. Hearts are left shattered and a family left broken. It is definetly not for the faint of heart

[Heather Way · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story for me was super sad so many times I had to take a break and just breath I felt every emotion that was put into it!! Great job Brian!