Comments on: How to Tell a True Story

By: Katie

Katie — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 04:27:03 +0000

I wasn’t going to leave a comment because I’m not so sure I have words right now. But thank you. For just putting words to it. Thank you.

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 16:21:19 +0000

So many parts of this struck so deeply home for me. The loss of interest in sex. The loss of your first love. Feeling small and fragile. Needing to forgive yourself for being weak but not knowing where to place blame… Thank you for making me feel less alone.

By: Kae

Kae — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 03:16:46 +0000

I just got out of a situation like this, and felt like I was the only one. Not sure what to do with all this hurt, where can I put the blame while I am a 23-old-woman and should have been able to stop loving him and stood up for myself, and what to do with the unexplainable tenderness I catch myself feeling toward my manipulator and abuser still. Thank you for writing something as powerful as this and for letting me know I am not alone.

By: Jane

Jane — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 18:54:11 +0000

Sometimes it’s okay not to forgive. This is one of those times.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad men like —— out there, and a lot of us run into them. To those who survive, applause. To those who don’t survive, armfuls of flowers, and bow as they leave the stage bloodied and broken; there are more of us out there than you know.

By: rayne

rayne — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 02:39:57 +0000

I feel a little less like a freak, a little less alone, after reading this… It’s not my fault and I know that now… but it’s a relief to know that I’m not the only one who was sucked against her will into a situation like this… Thanks

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 21:12:49 +0000

I think you may have confused people by calling this a “story.” Yes, it’s a story, but it’s more than simply “a fantastic read.” It’s reality, and people need to start thinking critically about the significance of just how vague and sinister abuse can be. I’m shocked by how many people have commented on this with short, dim platitudes. I would have hoped that narration like this would have made people see how beyond complex it is to understand an abusive relationship, but I guess you can’t reach every single reader.

By: nicole

nicole — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:17:23 +0000

Correction: I did not mean to say “humor.” Actually, I did. That was what I meant when I wrote it. But then I thought, “absurdity” is a better word. That is what I should have written. My journals are a blank for those years too. I was amazed when I realized that I have everything before and after, but there is no Official Record of my “true story.” So you see what I mean when I say “absurdity.”

By: nicole

nicole — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:08:17 +0000

I always think I will tell my true story when it seems funny to me . . . when I can write it “funny.” See the humor in it. It has been 15 years and it is not funny yet, although objectively, I know that at least some part of it is. I worry I will never be a “good writer” until that happens. This piece gave me hope.

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 03:19:03 +0000

Thank you.

By: Helen W. Mallon

Helen W. Mallon — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 19:03:39 +0000

Freakin’ gorgeous piece. I love the metafictiony reflections which are a living metaphor for the content. I will definitely share this one with my CW students. Thanks.