Review Title: Marriage Torn & Ragged; God to the Rescue (review of Breaking Free by Jennifer Slattery)
Reviewer: Janice S. Garey
***** 5 Stars

This book shows an excellent portrayal of a marriage withered by addictions and pride, torn apart by lies and sselfishness, ragged with shame and guilt, and hopeless without God to redeem the individual spouses to create a new marriage bond. The couple has two sons who were not immune to the disastrous situations that spilled into their lives causing rebellion and separation from their family unit.

I liked the realism of the woman character who knew something was not right, but she did not have all the pieces of the puzzle of her husband to get to the proper conclusion. This stymied any chance of beginning to work toward resolution. Eventually as facts emerged through events and her own snooping out the situation, she was empowered with enough truth to begin making wise decisions. Her husband was a charmer, so everyone wanted to be on his side and think the best of him even as he kept sliding further down in the depths of his two addictions.

I’ve tried not to give spoilers in my review. I think many people could benefit from reading this book as it reveals much about how addictions damage individuals, their relationships in the family, at work, and in the community. I think this book gives clear and accurate pictures of those who prey on the susceptible addicts. They were depicted as bad guys to the core without reason to have empathy for them. Time did not allow full development of their pitiful hardness of character. It might be nice to see other books about how those on the bad side of promoting addictions got there.

Jennifer Slattery’s style easily draws you into the story and keeps your interest as things progress from one difficulty to greater difficulties. It was all painfully realistic, and you wanted the best outcome for the spouses and their family. These were people to care about, just like your neighbors or extended family that you want the best for.

I won this book from a blog contest, and was under no obligation to give a good review. I have given an honest review after reading the book. I highly recommend it for any who struggle with addictions on a personal level or from the sidelines, and also for those in helping communities who want better understanding of what they are dealing with. I hope to read more from this talented author.