Full disclosure: I was given a free advance reader copy of this book by Author Marketing Experts in exchange for an honest review.
Although domestic violence is a sensitive topic, it has attracted a lot of curiosity. People have seen it in some form, so they have an idea what it entails. However, domestic abuse is more complicated than what they think. Michael Clark strives to unearth such complexities with his book The Truth About You: You’ll Never View Domestic Violence the Same Way Again. Even though it can be one-sided and over simplified at times, the book still fulfills its objective of providing a more nuanced view on the delicate subject.
The Truth About You: You’ll Never View Domestic Violence the Same Way Again is about one woman realizing what abusive relationships truly look like. When Lucy and Meg’s mom Paula is assaulted by her husband, stepfather Greg, his arrest seems to end a nightmare. However, when their mother chooses to stay with him, the sisters find themselves in a disturbing moral dilemma. Desperate to protect her, they secretly install hidden cameras to capture the truth for themselves and the rest of the world. What unfolds isn’t what Lucy expected. As she grapples with conflicting narratives of abuse, loyalty, and manipulation, she’s forced to question not only her mom and stepdad’s roles in this abusive relationship, but also the whole framework of judgment, justice, and victimhood.
Before I get into this review, I want to provide some background information. Author Michael Clark is the founder and Executive Director of the Ananias Foundation. It’s a nonprofit organization committed to ending domestic violence at its root by working with those who have caused harm. Clark himself was a former domestic violence offender, who went through rehabilitation to become a safe and emotionally healthy partner. He wrote about his struggles and transformation in his memoir From Villain to Hero.
Given this context, it makes sense that Clark would portray Greg more sympathetically than other authors. In fact, Greg is provided with a backstory involving his single mother and an assortment of emotional issues. Initially, he resists doing the program that’s supposed to help him, but overtime, he learns a lot of things that he relays to stepdaughter and protagonist Lucy. In the beginning, I wanted to hate him, but later, I empathized with him in a way, and he actually expresses regret for his actions. I kind of wish this book was from Greg’s perspective. Not that I don’t think Lucy is an interesting character, it’s more that I find his story fascinating. However, he’s likely a self-insert since Clark already wrote his tale of a reformed abuser in the memoir I described above.
With that being said, I found The Truth About You to be one-sided and over simplified at various points. This is especially true with Meg and the domestic violence organization she’s a part of. They promote the view that abuse is gender-based with women always being the victims and men the abusers. I get Clark wanted to include this to highlight common assumptions about domestic violence, but it comes off as shallower than intended. This is apparent when the group spells out their intentions like an evil scientist announcing his plans to take over the world and when Brenna – one of the organizers – force feeds lines to Paula at a rally. It doesn’t help that Meg drank a lot of that Kool-Aid when she and Lucy watched the videos of Paula and Greg’s interactions.
On the other hand, it does achieve its goal of changing how readers look at the topic overall. For starters, it shows what an abuser goes through during the aftermath. Even when they repent, others will still define them by their past infractions, which makes their lives much harder. This is evident of what Greg goes through in the book although I wish it included more of the reality of some abusers getting off scot-free and never expressing regret. In addition, the book is effective in demonstrating that the line between a victim and a victimizer can be blurred. Even though Paula gets physically attacked by Greg, there were several incidents that would’ve marked her as an abuser.
Lucy is a good audience stand-in. She learns from the videos and Greg of what domestic violence actually looks like. Even though she is a bit bland, it was nice to see her grow from being naive and a pushover to standing up for herself and seeing the misinformation that her sister and the domestic abuse organization espouse. She reminded me of my life at times. In addition, I love how Clark included a romantic interest for her with Brett – the trainer who helps her dog Oreo. They are so cute together, and I hope that she applies what she’s learned in this story to maintaining a healthy relationship with him.
The Truth About You: You’ll Never View Domestic Violence the Same Way Again by Michael Clark is a good story for anyone curious to know more about the topic. It can be shallow and biased at times, but it provides plenty of nuance in other places. While it didn’t completely change how I view domestic violence, it reaffirmed and fleshed out certain aspects, especially when it comes to abusers who want to atone for their actions. I would recommend this to readers who love dark literary fiction and contemporary women’s drama as well as those who crave psychological insight and stories that challenge assumptions. Domestic abuse will always be a subject of interest despite how sensitive it can be, and while this book is not perfect, it’s a good starting point.
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