A Map Without Your Shadow

by Kat Heatherington

This collection of poetry charts the arc of a marriage, from the formation of the relationship and building a dreamed-of life together, through cycles and years of emotional abuse, and then into and through divorce and its healing aftermath. It grapples unflinchingly with deception, loss, love, heartbreak, and ultimately finding a path to wholeness and healing. 

58 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2024

Reviews

[Lacey Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a moving book of poetry. If you have ever gone through divorce let this book be part of that healing journey. So many of these poems resonated on a deep level for me. It was a beautiful experience to read Kat’s words.

[Leslie Wills · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been through it twice now. Unflinching, gripping, heartbreaking, defiant. Once started, I cannot put it down. I have to read the next page and can hardly bear to at the same time. This is a collective story set in poetry. Somewhere along the way, you will relate, be reminded. And carried through.

[Kelli Judkins-Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this one down, such a raw and authentic read.

[Tracy Linder · Rating 5 out of 5]

My take on this newest book, of which I shamelessly grabbed two (one hard copy, the other on Kindle), is that so many of us who find ourselves in emotionally abusive relationships that require divorce and healing are not divorcing in the conventional sense. It's the divorce from a friend whose bitterness toward men colors all her conversations wearing me down heart and soul. The lovers I crossed half the country to be with, only to realize it wasn't a place of safety, but of restriction and keeping up conventional appearances, throwing me into a closet I never chose to be in. We also have to divorce ourselves from old habits, perceptions, and beliefs that only keep us trapped and unable to become who we are meant to be. The gift you have is to write the personal and in that intimate place, you voice what others may not be able to yet. Your words cast light into the shadows revealing the hidden and for those who will read these words that light will penetrate where they haven't been able to see clearly and guide them further away from the crippling dark into the freedom of the light.

[Dave Goff · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, poetry books are picked up, glanced through for a few minutes then sat down. It's not often that I will spend an extended amount of time with a poetry book. This, however, is a journey, a journey through bright joy, shadows and recovery. It deserves a full read, and time to process.

I thoroughly recommend it.