Author:Susan Sparks

Publisher: Bright Light Books

ISBN: 978-1-7324408-0-7

Sparks in Love: A Survivor’s Story is an ironical tale of domestic violence, in which the dreams and hopes of a young woman are torn to shreds by the man with whom she falls in love and marries. In telling her own tale, the journalist and advocate, Susan Sparks, is able to reveal how each of the fifteen warning signs of domestic abuse came to find a place in her relationship with a man whom she truly believed loved and cared deeply for her, only to find that he emotionally abandoned her as soon as they were married and she fell legally into bondage with him.

The perpetrator’s control over Sparks’ life is seen at first as being subtle, and as gradually became more blatant with his increasing dominance over her. How a highly professional woman could come to be at the back and call of a man who was so inferior to her in many ways will no doubt ring true for many who have been impacted upon by such power play, either directly or through a friend or relative who has suffered in a similar way.

What prevents Sparks’ tale from being over-subjective is no doubt the fact that she is a survivor, and no longer a victim. Her strength comes from both professional and personal sources, with her having been able to retain strong ties with her family, and especially her brother, despite their closeness being threatened at times by her reluctance to sunder herself from a man who was clearly no good for her, and who exploited her continuously financially, mentally and emotionally over a period of time that lasted decades.

For any victim of domestic abuse, Sparks in Love could prove to be an eye-opener. The book is highly recommended for use in encounter and self-help groups, as well as it making a sound present for anyone whom you consider to be in a similar situation, even if those concerned are unwilling to recognize and relate the truth and validity of Sparks’ experience to their own. Offering a way out of an unbearable situation is worth risking a friendship for, as otherwise you might stand the chance of losing such a connection in any case.