Seventeen

Seventeen is about a family, dangerously held together by loss and lies, and enduring love.The narrative is me as I navigate the hills and valleys my family and I experienced with my older brother Craig at the wheel.Opening with me at eight-years old and the fear that my secret will be discovered by a neighbor who passed away, the reader learns of the abuse I experienced by way of Craig's hands and selfish demands.And just as time moves forward and lives change, the reader is introduced to the present day, discovering Craig suffered a seizure and is now placed in a coma. The story flows from present to past, taking the reader on a journey of the Gary family - eventually culminating and sealing Craig's fate.The namesake seventeen is a tribute to my late mother who passed on September 17, 2002. The number 17 has since been an angel number, one of which I see and hear almost annoyingly throughout my day. I even married my husband, Jack on March 17, 2008 - adding to the synchronicity that is my life. This is a book about my life. But it is not a memoir - I do not believe in them. My memories are my memories. They are not my family's nor Craig's. It wouldn't be fair to say that my experience was their own.I have aired the proverbial closet in this soul-revealing novella. For that, I've changed the names of all involved to protect the guilty.My hope for sharing my story is to explain my idiosyncrasies and the bruises I carry like armor - both for the reader and myself. And to share in your pain because I know families are messy, love is innately painful yet beautiful, and life is not always linear. I believe that we all have experienced something that has changed us forever and for that, we all deserve compassion and love. Telling my story is my way of sharing that you are not alone. I see you. I hear you. And, I honor you.Thank you for reading and seeing my heart-writer with an open heart