Books and Blunt Truths Review: The Healing Trilogy by Ben Cole-Edwards
I went into The Healing Trilogy carrying more than just a bookmark from where I left off. I began this series before my mum died, and finishing it now felt like walking back into a room I had carefully closed the door on. I was not sure I was ready. Turns out I was. Or maybe the book held the handle with me.
Cole-Edwards writes about trauma, memory, and family in a way that bypasses your intellect and goes straight for the parts of you that have been waiting to be seen. This trilogy opened doors I had been afraid to open alone, and somehow managed to do it gently.
There were moments that resonated so deeply that I had to put the book down. One idea in particular hit me with a force I did not expect: that sometimes the “good” parent is not actually good, but simply the least bad parent. I had never framed my childhood that way, but once the words landed, so did a lifetime of clarity. It is strange how a sentence in a book can change the way you look at your own history.
Reading this after my mum’s death brought up memories I had kept buried for decades. But for the first time, I was able to look at them without the padding of guilt or fear. Without the pressure to protect anyone else’s feelings. The book didn’t force anything; it simply held up a mirror and waited.
As a story, the trilogy is compelling, layered, and beautifully written. As an emotional experience, it is something far more personal. This is the kind of series that stays with you long after the final page, not because it tells you how to heal, but because it reminds you that healing is possible.
Thank you, Ben Cole-Edwards, for writing something that met me exactly where I was, even when I did not know how to ask for that.