Review: Letting Go by Belinda Tors

Can Margery Arturo make it on her own after leaving her husband, Tony? With a teen-age daughter, Lola, she escapes while her husband is on a business trip. She gets a job at a battered women's shelter as a counselor. How does she succeed? And how does she react when he returns and finds she is gone? And how does she react when he refuses to pay her child support and monies he owes in their divorce settlement? Margery soon learns that leaving a violent husband has more risks than possibly getting beaten up more or killed after she departs.

Paperback, 236 pages

Published October 30th 2013 by Outskirts Press      
Terri's Thoughts

I received a copy of this book directly from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This read covered a pretty heavy topic in tackling spousal abuse yet it was a remarkably easy read.  The writing style of Tors enabled me to get through the book in a couple of hours.  It tackles the impacts of leaving a toxic relationship not just from Margery's point of view but also from her children's.  We journey through tribulations and hardships of starting out on your own along with Margery.  I liked how the reader saw the development of Margery's empowerment as she found her voice after years of being knocked down.  I think this is a wonderful message as spousal abuse is a serious and far to common occurrence.  Through the words of Tors I hope that it may give someone out there the courage to follow in her footsteps.

I might be a little picky on this however the book was not without some issues for me.  I had a hard time identifying with Fred and the subsequent relationship with Margery.  I know he was to be depicted as someone who was finally supportive however I sometimes felt that he was not.  I kept waiting for some horrible secret to be exposed about him making him in to a monster.  I also felt that the introduction of his ex-wife in to the storyline felt a little surplus.  Lastly I felt that Margery was selfish in her relationship with Fred and that she did not understand his needs when it came to his family.

Overall I feel this book delivers a strong message of courage to woman.  It shows that it is possible to break out of the pattern of an abusive relationship.  It also mentions several social programs available to those in need.  For the message alone I would recommend this book.

About the Author

Belinda Tors is a retired social worker and journalist who has published widely in newspapers and literary journals.  Under the name Barbara Fitfield, she is the author of two women's novels, Photographs and Memories and Lucifer Rising as well as a self-illustrated book of poetry, Passion's Evidence.  She is a member of several writing groups including the Florida Writer's Association, The Tomoka Poets, and the Ormond Beach Writers' League.  Ms. Tors resides in Port Orange, Florida