Testimonials

From Those Who Have Read It

Some cried. Some got angry. Some saw their own lives in these pages. Here is what they wanted to share.

I have a sister. We fight, but nothing like this. Reading what Trudis went through with her twin honestly made my stomach turn. The way Doris kept coming back into her life and destroying things over and over… I don't know how Trudis survived that. It made me look at my own family differently. This book stayed with me for weeks.

— Jess M.

My mom was in an abusive relationship when I was a kid. Reading Trudis talk about how Achim would hit her but never leave marks… that hit way too close to home. She doesn't make herself a hero. She just tells you what happened. No drama, no excuses. Just facts. I cried a few times. But I also felt less alone.

— Carlos R.

I moved to Australia from the UK, thinking it would be this amazing adventure. Trudis put into words exactly how lonely it can feel when you're a foreigner, and nothing works like back home. The way she calls it the 'yucky country' made me laugh and also feel seen. Her story about losing her kids because she didn't have a custody order broke me.

— Priya K.

The part where a doctor pointed her finger at Trudis and said 'not broken' when her hip was actually fractured… I wanted to throw the book across the room. I've been dismissed by doctors like that. She doesn't exaggerate. She just tells you what happened, and that's somehow more powerful than any dramatic writing. Made me so angry.

— Tom W.

I learned something from this book. You can forgive someone and still never talk to them again. Trudis kept forgiving her sister, and every time Doris came back and hurt her more. By the end, when she finally said, 'I will forgive her in my heart but never let her back in'… that hit me hard. That's real wisdom.

— Linda T.

Trudis doesn't write like a professional author. She writes like someone sitting across from you at a kitchen table, telling you her life over coffee. Short sentences. No fancy words. Just straight truth. Some parts are brutal. Some are surprisingly funny. I finished it in two days because I couldn't look away. This woman has been through hell.

— David H.

I don't usually read memoirs. A friend gave me this one. I expected something depressing. And yeah, it is sad. But it's also weirdly inspiring. Trudis lost so much. Her home, her health, and her kids for a while. But she kept planting gardens and raising dogs. She kept going. That's not fake positivity. That's real strength.

— Sarah J.