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Out of the Fire and into the Pan
Shannon O’Leary (a pseudonym) is a prolific writer and performer. Her first book The Blood on My Hands told the story of her traumatic and violent childhood in the 1960s and 70s Australia. This sequel, Out of the Fire and into the Pan, explains to the reader how she progressed into the adult world while coming to terms with her terrifying past. It is a story of personal growth and of how O’Leary navigates her transition into adulthood, while seeking out the social norms and finding her place in the world. Out of the Fire and into the Pan takes the reader on a personal journey where Shannon questions herself, her past, her choice of relationships and her place in the world. It is a story of resilience, accomplishment and personal triumph.
Readers will quickly become engrossed as they follow the author’s life after the tragic circumstances forced upon her as a child and on to the life she made for herself as a survivor.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2019
1 person is currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Shannon O'Leary
10 books36 followersShannon O’Leary is a prolific writer and performer. She is the author of several books of poetry and children’s stories, and she has won many awards for song-writing.
Shannon has acted and directed on the stage and on Australian national TV, and she runs her own production company.
She has numerous graduate and post-graduate degrees in education, music, and science. She is a teacher and academic, has five children with her deceased former husband, and lives with her longtime partner in Sydney, Australia.
Her memoir The Blood on My Hands was published in February 2016 and is available for sale on Amazon and Createspace.
Shannon has acted and directed on the stage and on Australian national TV, and she runs her own production company.
She has numerous graduate and post-graduate degrees in education, music, and science. She is a teacher and academic, has five children with her deceased former husband, and lives with her longtime partner in Sydney, Australia.
Her memoir The Blood on My Hands was published in February 2016 and is available for sale on Amazon and Createspace.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 11, 2019
This is the sequel to ‘Blood on My Hands’ and I found it to be just as good. It picks up where the first book leaves off, sharing how Shannon and her family do after leaving her toxic father. This book covers the period of her adulthood and how she copes with what happened in her childhood. Despite the trauma they all went through, and his continued stalking of the family, despite their repeated moves, they keep striving to better their lives. Shannon’s mother encourages education as the way out and many of them attend further schooling, especially Shannon. She becomes active in teaching, acting and directing on the stage and Australian National TV. She found that writing and music helped when she was stressed at night, and spent times indulging in it. There always seemed to be the threat of her father around outside at times, scratching at the window, the smell of his cigarette smoke seeping in, or his creepy phone calls when they later had a phone.
Read how she starts to learn how to move beyond those awful years, to try and heal herself and learn who she is in this world. How she looks for answers to some of the awful things that happened back in her early years, but finds that no one really wants to help, including the police still. My thanks for a copy from the author and publisher for review.
My BookZone blog:
https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20...
Read how she starts to learn how to move beyond those awful years, to try and heal herself and learn who she is in this world. How she looks for answers to some of the awful things that happened back in her early years, but finds that no one really wants to help, including the police still. My thanks for a copy from the author and publisher for review.
My BookZone blog:
https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20...
August 5, 2019
This is the sequel to The Blood on my Hands and is a true story told by the author.
In book 1 we followed Shannon through a traumatic childhood filled with horrendous abuse at the hands of an evil father with a severe personality disorder. The strong bond with her mother is what kept the pair of them struggling on.
Shannon is 15 at the start of this book and has returned to Sydney to pick up the pieces of her life. Her father still continues to torment her but she is determined to have a life.
Shannon goes from one bad relationship to another before meeting David. Life starts to settle down and their family grows. Both are involved in the entertainment industry and set up their own company. However David turns to drugs and she finds herself once again living in fear with an unpredictable man prone to erratic behaviour. Like her mother before her Shannon is tied by her chiildren and struggles on.
This is another very difficult read and I am in awe of Shannon and her strength as she manages to survive and keep her children safe.
Another very eye opening read.
Thank you to Book Publicity Services and the author for the digital copy of this book. This is my unbiased review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
In book 1 we followed Shannon through a traumatic childhood filled with horrendous abuse at the hands of an evil father with a severe personality disorder. The strong bond with her mother is what kept the pair of them struggling on.
Shannon is 15 at the start of this book and has returned to Sydney to pick up the pieces of her life. Her father still continues to torment her but she is determined to have a life.
Shannon goes from one bad relationship to another before meeting David. Life starts to settle down and their family grows. Both are involved in the entertainment industry and set up their own company. However David turns to drugs and she finds herself once again living in fear with an unpredictable man prone to erratic behaviour. Like her mother before her Shannon is tied by her chiildren and struggles on.
This is another very difficult read and I am in awe of Shannon and her strength as she manages to survive and keep her children safe.
Another very eye opening read.
Thank you to Book Publicity Services and the author for the digital copy of this book. This is my unbiased review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 26, 2019
3.5 stars
Out of the Fire and Into the Pan is the sequel to the author's previous memoir, The Blood on my Hands. Together, these two books follow Shannon O'Leary's life story dealing with the abuse dealt by her father. And we're talking abuse as she's psychologically, physically, and emotionally manipulated. Whereas the first book dealt with her childhood during the time of abuse, Out of the Fire shows us the after-effects. Here, we see how Shannon struggles with PTSD, anxiety, and how it affects her peace of mind & relationships during her adulthood. Talk about harrowing...
The only thing that makes the first one more preferable to this one, is that The Blood on my Hands is more linear & I enjoyed the prose a bit more. If you only had to read one of the books in this duology, it should definitely be the first one. Out of the Fire feels very much like a sequel, very much dependent on the first book, and a bit more repetitive.
As I mentioned in my review of the last book, I do have so many more things to say about this "duology" of memoirs, so please look out for some video reviews on my Youtube channel!
Thank you to Book Publicity Services for providing me a copy in exchange for a review.
Out of the Fire and Into the Pan is the sequel to the author's previous memoir, The Blood on my Hands. Together, these two books follow Shannon O'Leary's life story dealing with the abuse dealt by her father. And we're talking abuse as she's psychologically, physically, and emotionally manipulated. Whereas the first book dealt with her childhood during the time of abuse, Out of the Fire shows us the after-effects. Here, we see how Shannon struggles with PTSD, anxiety, and how it affects her peace of mind & relationships during her adulthood. Talk about harrowing...
The only thing that makes the first one more preferable to this one, is that The Blood on my Hands is more linear & I enjoyed the prose a bit more. If you only had to read one of the books in this duology, it should definitely be the first one. Out of the Fire feels very much like a sequel, very much dependent on the first book, and a bit more repetitive.
As I mentioned in my review of the last book, I do have so many more things to say about this "duology" of memoirs, so please look out for some video reviews on my Youtube channel!
Thank you to Book Publicity Services for providing me a copy in exchange for a review.
May 16, 2019
If you didn’t find Shannon O’ Leary’s first book, The Blood on My Hands, heart-wrenching enough then her sequel will certainly have you weeping uncontrollably. How can one person, one family, go through so much?
If you do weep, thankfully it will be with both heartbreak and relief or joy, eventually.
The abuse that this poor girl suffers with at the hands of her father continues well into her adulthood until his death in the later stages of the book. As time progresses, the author fights continuously against the lure of negative-emotional relationships she finds herself attracted to, a pattern of behaviour that comes as a consequence of the abuse. She eventually gains the ultimate prize of her life, however, by bringing into the world a huge family of her own. She shows such strength and courage dealing with the demands of her five children.
This is the ultimate conclusion of this chapter in Shannon O’Leary’s life. It’s brutally honest, poignant and a testament to her bravery in the face of such dreadful adversity. Despite all that she has endured, she emerges from the pits of hell as an exceptional mother and a very strong woman.
This is one sequel you just cannot afford to miss.
If you do weep, thankfully it will be with both heartbreak and relief or joy, eventually.
The abuse that this poor girl suffers with at the hands of her father continues well into her adulthood until his death in the later stages of the book. As time progresses, the author fights continuously against the lure of negative-emotional relationships she finds herself attracted to, a pattern of behaviour that comes as a consequence of the abuse. She eventually gains the ultimate prize of her life, however, by bringing into the world a huge family of her own. She shows such strength and courage dealing with the demands of her five children.
This is the ultimate conclusion of this chapter in Shannon O’Leary’s life. It’s brutally honest, poignant and a testament to her bravery in the face of such dreadful adversity. Despite all that she has endured, she emerges from the pits of hell as an exceptional mother and a very strong woman.
This is one sequel you just cannot afford to miss.
May 6, 2019
From time to time I have pondered the thought of what it is like for the families of these most violent men. How can serial killers maintain a regular family life all the while doing what they do? From what I have read most of these men don't, they live an isolated life allowing them to live out there twisted and dark fantasies. But for just some of them, there is a need to on the outside at least maintain a normal looking life. In reading O'Leary's book you find that her life was more akin to hell on earth. Having not read the first book the events portrayed to me in this one where all new. From what I understand from reading online it deals more with the crimes of her father. Here in Out of the fire, she talks more about how she went about trying to form a life away from him.
It has taken me a while to put my thoughts into order and form a coherent thread when it comes to her story. For a lot of us, we have an idealized view of what Australia is. The sun-kissed place where good times are had by all and the only worry is where to eat out next. But much like a great many of these dream vacation destinations. The reality of living there can be a whole different ball game. To say the abuse her and her brothers went through as horrific would be doing them all a great disservice. There were parts of this book that forced me to put the book to one side for a while and let my brain go anywhere else. For me, I think part of the problem is that I try to fix problems and with people you can't always do that. Sometimes you have to just sit and listen. In reading this book it forces you to do just that. In some ways, it feels like a cathartic exercise for the author. She tells her story in what feels like a stream of consciousness. While the bulk of the book goes from year to year, there are moments when she shoots back and forth in time. In part, I feel this is to add context to either the story she just told or the one coming up. And as someone who had not been privy to the events of the previous book it helped me a great deal with what was going on.
She does her best to deliver her story in a way that the reader can keep up with. Her style is not meant to shock the reader as so often is the case in true crime. I would imagine that this stems from the fact that most true crime is written by people who came to the facts long after. But here we have a direct input into a world that is so steeped in trauma and abuse. For everything I have witnessed in my life, I cannot find any direct memory or image to connect her life with. Trying to find a way out of this disturbing landscape is for the reader simply a matter of closing the book and walking away. But for someone who was trapped in it, there is no real escape. I can only imagine that it something you learn to live with. Like a shadow stalking your every moment of life, you learn to accept its presence. But only after the threat has gone I feel this is possible.
This book will not appeal to everyone, the subject matter alone is enough to force many to put it straight back on the shelf. But for me, there is a great deal to be learned from her book. You can see how not only physical abuse can destroy a life but also the constant emotional abuse leaves you with a feeling that no matter what you do the will be no escape. Hope is a powerful thing and when someone sets out to take that away from you the life that follows is one of constant fight or flight. It is one of those stories that needs to be told. That despite all she went through, she is alive today to tell the reader what her father did not only to those nameless victims but his own flesh and blood. It is a book that I am still struggling to come to terms with.
It has taken me a while to put my thoughts into order and form a coherent thread when it comes to her story. For a lot of us, we have an idealized view of what Australia is. The sun-kissed place where good times are had by all and the only worry is where to eat out next. But much like a great many of these dream vacation destinations. The reality of living there can be a whole different ball game. To say the abuse her and her brothers went through as horrific would be doing them all a great disservice. There were parts of this book that forced me to put the book to one side for a while and let my brain go anywhere else. For me, I think part of the problem is that I try to fix problems and with people you can't always do that. Sometimes you have to just sit and listen. In reading this book it forces you to do just that. In some ways, it feels like a cathartic exercise for the author. She tells her story in what feels like a stream of consciousness. While the bulk of the book goes from year to year, there are moments when she shoots back and forth in time. In part, I feel this is to add context to either the story she just told or the one coming up. And as someone who had not been privy to the events of the previous book it helped me a great deal with what was going on.
She does her best to deliver her story in a way that the reader can keep up with. Her style is not meant to shock the reader as so often is the case in true crime. I would imagine that this stems from the fact that most true crime is written by people who came to the facts long after. But here we have a direct input into a world that is so steeped in trauma and abuse. For everything I have witnessed in my life, I cannot find any direct memory or image to connect her life with. Trying to find a way out of this disturbing landscape is for the reader simply a matter of closing the book and walking away. But for someone who was trapped in it, there is no real escape. I can only imagine that it something you learn to live with. Like a shadow stalking your every moment of life, you learn to accept its presence. But only after the threat has gone I feel this is possible.
This book will not appeal to everyone, the subject matter alone is enough to force many to put it straight back on the shelf. But for me, there is a great deal to be learned from her book. You can see how not only physical abuse can destroy a life but also the constant emotional abuse leaves you with a feeling that no matter what you do the will be no escape. Hope is a powerful thing and when someone sets out to take that away from you the life that follows is one of constant fight or flight. It is one of those stories that needs to be told. That despite all she went through, she is alive today to tell the reader what her father did not only to those nameless victims but his own flesh and blood. It is a book that I am still struggling to come to terms with.
November 12, 2019
In my review of this books predecessor, The Blood on my Hands, one of the things I mentioned was how I would have liked to read more about O’Leary’s adult life, how she overcame the terror rained down on her and her family by her father, how she coped in the aftermath. It seems I wasn’t alone in this want, as O’Leary introduced her new book stating, “what came next?” was the question many readers asked. Out of the Fire and into the Pan is the answer to that question – it picks up directly where book one left off.
Written in a very similar writing style to its predecessor, this book places you next to O’Leary as she navigates the world as an adult. I purposely say next to, because the abuse O’Leary suffered at the hands of her father was so extreme, so brutal, that it’s almost impossible to feel as O’Leary felt, however, she does bring you as close as she can. It is not easy reading, and nor should it be, due to the content.
What struck me while I was reading this book was all that O’Leary accomplished despite the threat of her father being ever present. Do you ever think of someone and wish they could see how strong they are, how brave, to not only exist, but carve out a life for themselves despite all they’ve been through. As you read this book, you’ll wish O’Leary was able to see that about herself, her strength, and you’ll keep hoping for happier times for her. And there were happier times, my typing fingers are itching to say a happy ending, but can you ever move on completely, can you ever completely forget? O’Leary does experience success in her professional life, and personal life, blessed with five children.
As O’Leary details her life, you’ll clearly see the knock-on effect of her childhood trauma. How it impacted her future actions, how they wreaked havoc with her mental health.
“I constantly lost sight of what was good for me because anything was better than what I had before.”
Despite all that’s written above, this book is hard to review – like with book one, it is a book so honest, so raw in its emotion, such a personal account, this book just is. From a reader-interest perspective, this book may be of interest to those who work in certain fields, such as mental health or psychology, who want to gain an insight into how trauma in childhood impacts a person’s adult life.
Out of the Fire and into the Pan likely won’t win any awards for poetic writing or fluidity, but it should win awards for honesty, for the author’s ability to reflect on the painful experiences in her life. For in this honesty, O’Leary demands you pay attention, this is her voice, and this is her story. Reading The Blood on my Hands is highly recommended before picking up this sequel due to it being a continuation of events.
*My thanks to Book Publicity Services for providing me with a copy of this book*
Written in a very similar writing style to its predecessor, this book places you next to O’Leary as she navigates the world as an adult. I purposely say next to, because the abuse O’Leary suffered at the hands of her father was so extreme, so brutal, that it’s almost impossible to feel as O’Leary felt, however, she does bring you as close as she can. It is not easy reading, and nor should it be, due to the content.
What struck me while I was reading this book was all that O’Leary accomplished despite the threat of her father being ever present. Do you ever think of someone and wish they could see how strong they are, how brave, to not only exist, but carve out a life for themselves despite all they’ve been through. As you read this book, you’ll wish O’Leary was able to see that about herself, her strength, and you’ll keep hoping for happier times for her. And there were happier times, my typing fingers are itching to say a happy ending, but can you ever move on completely, can you ever completely forget? O’Leary does experience success in her professional life, and personal life, blessed with five children.
As O’Leary details her life, you’ll clearly see the knock-on effect of her childhood trauma. How it impacted her future actions, how they wreaked havoc with her mental health.
“I constantly lost sight of what was good for me because anything was better than what I had before.”
Despite all that’s written above, this book is hard to review – like with book one, it is a book so honest, so raw in its emotion, such a personal account, this book just is. From a reader-interest perspective, this book may be of interest to those who work in certain fields, such as mental health or psychology, who want to gain an insight into how trauma in childhood impacts a person’s adult life.
Out of the Fire and into the Pan likely won’t win any awards for poetic writing or fluidity, but it should win awards for honesty, for the author’s ability to reflect on the painful experiences in her life. For in this honesty, O’Leary demands you pay attention, this is her voice, and this is her story. Reading The Blood on my Hands is highly recommended before picking up this sequel due to it being a continuation of events.
*My thanks to Book Publicity Services for providing me with a copy of this book*
October 20, 2019
This book is a sequel to The Blood on my Hands which tells in graphic detail, the awful life that the author had to endure as a child. As the years pass and she enters adulthood, the fear is still there as her father persists in stalking her and letting her know that he is constantly watching. She has been to the police, but they seem to be of no help. She has various relationships as she craves the feeling to be truly loved. She does have children and eventually finds that music and acting are her forte and this can also take her mind off her constant fear. Her life is ruled by terrors she endured as a child and she us always aware that she is being watched. She immerses herself in her acting and involves her children who also become musicians and stage artists.
This book is proof that someone can actually survive a most terrible childhood and become a celebrity and raise talented children.
This book is proof that someone can actually survive a most terrible childhood and become a celebrity and raise talented children.
February 6, 2020
This book is a sequel to The Blood on my Hands - a true telling of Shannon's childhood growing up with a serial killer father in Australia. The first book is one that I couldn't put down. It's something we can't fathom, living with a serial killer, especially with that being a parent. The book picks up where the previous ends and we learn how Shannon grew into her adulthood, with her violent and terrifying childhood still in close footsteps behind her. Her story is one you'll definitely want to read. It's difficult, gut-wrenching, and so powerful.
Shannon's story is such a triumph and it is phenomenal to see all of the achievements she has obtained after living a life of such terror. Her story gives me hope for us all, that we are strong enough to overcome even the wort imaginable circumstances.
Shannon's story is such a triumph and it is phenomenal to see all of the achievements she has obtained after living a life of such terror. Her story gives me hope for us all, that we are strong enough to overcome even the wort imaginable circumstances.
May 19, 2019
It is an engrossing story that while it is a very hard read, having to read about some of the dreadful things her and her family endured, it is one that the reader will need to finish.
At times hearing about some of the horrific acts committed might mean that the reader will need to take a break, but it is book that does need to finished.
The only small negative is that sometimes I felt that the story jumped slightly backwards and forwards – but this didn’t detract from the story or leave it unable to follow what was happening.
A very interesting book, if at times hard to read just because of what the author and her family had to go through. I really can’t convey in a review the horror and mental energy it must have taken to experience all of this and come out the other end, you really do need to read both books.
This won’t be an easy read due to the subject matter, but ultimately reading how she survived, got through it, raised her family and made her life better while learning from mistakes makes it a sequel that you won’t be able to miss.
A harrowing and emotional book, but one that comes to life on the page.
At times hearing about some of the horrific acts committed might mean that the reader will need to take a break, but it is book that does need to finished.
The only small negative is that sometimes I felt that the story jumped slightly backwards and forwards – but this didn’t detract from the story or leave it unable to follow what was happening.
A very interesting book, if at times hard to read just because of what the author and her family had to go through. I really can’t convey in a review the horror and mental energy it must have taken to experience all of this and come out the other end, you really do need to read both books.
This won’t be an easy read due to the subject matter, but ultimately reading how she survived, got through it, raised her family and made her life better while learning from mistakes makes it a sequel that you won’t be able to miss.
A harrowing and emotional book, but one that comes to life on the page.
August 2, 2019
For a story so horrifying, the book is beautifully written. The sequel is like a story told from a friend in quiet confidence ... It is so easy to connect with the emotional crashes and waves that I found myself speaking out loud to Shannon as I read. To head into adulthood with the longing to know yourself and your place in the world is hard enough - Shannon shares her experience with bravery and insight even though it is a difficult one to tell. It's humbling to see her strength and resilience as she grows on and into her own life even though she is still being haunted and hunted by the one she wants to forget.
January 26, 2020
As soon as I put down The Blood on my Hands I instantly picked up the sequel Out of the Fire and into the Pan.
What an absolutely amazing yet equally horrifying autobiography.
Out of the Fire focuses on Shannon O'Leary navigating through her teenage life, adulthood, relationships, parent hood etc. And describes some pretty horrific relationships she found herself in along the way as well as her father's constant stalking and bombardment that had her fearing for her life on multiple occasions.
Out of the Fire also shows the after effects Shannon's childhood (described in Blood on my Hands) had on her mentally causing her to suffer from anxiety, PTSD and insomnia. She also explains how she went to the police on multiple occasions but was shrugged off by authorities yet again which I was absolutely disgusted by!
I also found it inspiring how both Shannon and her mother threw themselves into education, and although I suppose Shannon didn't always do this in a 'healthy' way (using it to mask her insomnia and keeping her mind busy) it has give me a positive outlook on going back into education and how you can better yourself no matter your situation. The story of her mother winning multiple awards was amazing and almost had me in tears after all she endured from her first marriage. I'm also not entirely sure if this was a point Shannon was trying to get across or if anybody else found inspiration here but I definitely did.
I would like to thank Book Publicity Services for gifting me these books and giving me the chance to read and review these books in a non bias way.
What an absolutely amazing yet equally horrifying autobiography.
Out of the Fire focuses on Shannon O'Leary navigating through her teenage life, adulthood, relationships, parent hood etc. And describes some pretty horrific relationships she found herself in along the way as well as her father's constant stalking and bombardment that had her fearing for her life on multiple occasions.
Out of the Fire also shows the after effects Shannon's childhood (described in Blood on my Hands) had on her mentally causing her to suffer from anxiety, PTSD and insomnia. She also explains how she went to the police on multiple occasions but was shrugged off by authorities yet again which I was absolutely disgusted by!
I also found it inspiring how both Shannon and her mother threw themselves into education, and although I suppose Shannon didn't always do this in a 'healthy' way (using it to mask her insomnia and keeping her mind busy) it has give me a positive outlook on going back into education and how you can better yourself no matter your situation. The story of her mother winning multiple awards was amazing and almost had me in tears after all she endured from her first marriage. I'm also not entirely sure if this was a point Shannon was trying to get across or if anybody else found inspiration here but I definitely did.
I would like to thank Book Publicity Services for gifting me these books and giving me the chance to read and review these books in a non bias way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2021
Amazing read. Highly recommend along with book one “the blood on my hands” but *warning* can be quite graphic and detailed about some less than pleasant events but well worth the read.
December 16, 2019
The Blood on my Hands was a roller coaster of emotions and very hard to read through without feeling some type of way. It's counterpart, Out of the Fire and Into the Pan, is no easier to digest. The trauma continues from the age of 15 all the way into adulthood. The aftermath has left several people, Shannon included, in an array of broken pieces of self. The struggles are real and screaming out to find a way to cope; but how does one really cope when the pain is so far etched in the skin, in the mind that you feel so far gone? Shannon does manage to find a man named David and they grow a family together, but then there are signs of him spiraling down into drugs and it becomes a trigger for Shannon and it feels like a terrible repeat of history. Something about this life reminds her of her father, the last person she would ever want to remember. Things/Life get a bit easier and success eventually finds its way through in her personal/professional life. In reading, The Blood on my Hands and Out of the Fire and Into the Pan, you read just how much strength is found in one person and how much it took to discover it.
October 23, 2019
Read my other book reviews at booksibled.wordpress.com
I was sent these two books in exchange for an honest review.
These are dark, dark books. For the majority of the people I know I probably wouldn’t recommend them because so many of my friends and family read for escapism and the joy of it. I often had to put these books aside and convince myself to continue but not because they’re bad. It takes a certain amount of stregth of mind to keep reading through descriptions of kidnap, murder, domestic violence and child abuse. These books are so heavy and if that’s not something you want to read, even if you normally enjoy true crime, then that is totally valid.
But for people who are interested in how a family can survive after going through hell, how a girl can rebuild her life and how the mind can react to protect a person who has been through terrible trauma then these may be the books for you.
Shannon tries to piece together her childhood with the snippits of early memory that she feels she can trust. It often brings forth the question of the reliability of a narrator in a memoir and the way children and sexual assault victims are so often disbelieved to the point that they begin to doubt their own memories. Her memories of her mother and animals seem to be the strongest with the fear and confusion of her fathers actions often blurring the edges of her stories. It can be a little confusing but in a lot of ways I feel like that adds to the sense of fear the book instills in the reader.
The second book in the series focuses on Shannon rebuilding her life after her mother and siblings escape her father. It covers his attempts to stalk them wherever they move, her moving out and starting work, her fathers death and the difficulty she has in forming healthy relationships after years of systematic abuse from her father and mistreatment by boyfriends.
By the end of the books you have a strong sense of Shannon’s determination to not only survive but to thrive. In a lot of ways it’s heartwarming to know she survived so much and made it through to a happier, healthier place. However it’s hard to move past the appauling things she has internalised over the years and the process of getting all of that out on paper, while cathartic for Shannon, may be triggering to others. So, I can only recommend it with the heaviest of warnings.
P.S. An unsettling memoir series including triggering recollections of sexual abuse, domestic violence and a culture of fear but an inspiring story of piecing yourself back together and surviving trauma.
I was sent these two books in exchange for an honest review.
These are dark, dark books. For the majority of the people I know I probably wouldn’t recommend them because so many of my friends and family read for escapism and the joy of it. I often had to put these books aside and convince myself to continue but not because they’re bad. It takes a certain amount of stregth of mind to keep reading through descriptions of kidnap, murder, domestic violence and child abuse. These books are so heavy and if that’s not something you want to read, even if you normally enjoy true crime, then that is totally valid.
But for people who are interested in how a family can survive after going through hell, how a girl can rebuild her life and how the mind can react to protect a person who has been through terrible trauma then these may be the books for you.
Shannon tries to piece together her childhood with the snippits of early memory that she feels she can trust. It often brings forth the question of the reliability of a narrator in a memoir and the way children and sexual assault victims are so often disbelieved to the point that they begin to doubt their own memories. Her memories of her mother and animals seem to be the strongest with the fear and confusion of her fathers actions often blurring the edges of her stories. It can be a little confusing but in a lot of ways I feel like that adds to the sense of fear the book instills in the reader.
The second book in the series focuses on Shannon rebuilding her life after her mother and siblings escape her father. It covers his attempts to stalk them wherever they move, her moving out and starting work, her fathers death and the difficulty she has in forming healthy relationships after years of systematic abuse from her father and mistreatment by boyfriends.
By the end of the books you have a strong sense of Shannon’s determination to not only survive but to thrive. In a lot of ways it’s heartwarming to know she survived so much and made it through to a happier, healthier place. However it’s hard to move past the appauling things she has internalised over the years and the process of getting all of that out on paper, while cathartic for Shannon, may be triggering to others. So, I can only recommend it with the heaviest of warnings.
P.S. An unsettling memoir series including triggering recollections of sexual abuse, domestic violence and a culture of fear but an inspiring story of piecing yourself back together and surviving trauma.
January 3, 2020
Another autobiography, another note that this review is solely based on my experience & feelings while reading this book, not the ‘story’ itself.
I was really looking forward to this one. Those of you who have read my review of The Blood on My Hands might remember that one of the things I wanted most from that book was to know more about the author as an adult, as a survivor. Out of the Fire and Into the Pan promises to give the reader exactly that.
Oh, how I was disappointed.
O’Leary takes her reader on a journey of self-discovery. She shares with us how she has navigated her trauma, and how her mother and brother are navigating theirs. Initially unexplained fears and anxieties in her adult life are linked back to the actions of her father, serving as harsh reminders that some scars will never heal.
Unfortunately, she does this in a way that just did not work for me. The writing in the first book didn’t gel with me, the writing in this one actually angered me. Disconnected, choppy, repetitive and inconsistent; by the end I was skimming the last 50 or so pages, completely out of patience with it all.
O’Leary wrote that she had kept diaries, memories and other items relating to her father. This book reads as though she is flitting from diary entry to memory and back, all the while trying to elaborate and create a cohesive outline. It just doesn’t work and is too hard to keep up with.
I cannot imagine the strength and bravery needed to not only survive this childhood, but to become strong enough to also find your place in the world. My deepest respects go to the author for these acts of bravery, and I have no doubt the process of putting pen to paper was a cathartic and necessary one. I only wish that more thought was put into the proofreading/editing side of things.
I was really looking forward to this one. Those of you who have read my review of The Blood on My Hands might remember that one of the things I wanted most from that book was to know more about the author as an adult, as a survivor. Out of the Fire and Into the Pan promises to give the reader exactly that.
Oh, how I was disappointed.
O’Leary takes her reader on a journey of self-discovery. She shares with us how she has navigated her trauma, and how her mother and brother are navigating theirs. Initially unexplained fears and anxieties in her adult life are linked back to the actions of her father, serving as harsh reminders that some scars will never heal.
Unfortunately, she does this in a way that just did not work for me. The writing in the first book didn’t gel with me, the writing in this one actually angered me. Disconnected, choppy, repetitive and inconsistent; by the end I was skimming the last 50 or so pages, completely out of patience with it all.
O’Leary wrote that she had kept diaries, memories and other items relating to her father. This book reads as though she is flitting from diary entry to memory and back, all the while trying to elaborate and create a cohesive outline. It just doesn’t work and is too hard to keep up with.
I cannot imagine the strength and bravery needed to not only survive this childhood, but to become strong enough to also find your place in the world. My deepest respects go to the author for these acts of bravery, and I have no doubt the process of putting pen to paper was a cathartic and necessary one. I only wish that more thought was put into the proofreading/editing side of things.
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