Beautiful
The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up by Laura Pearson is a most beautiful contemporary novel that I really enjoyed.
The novel is written in two time periods – ‘then’ and ‘now.’ It is in the first person of Shelley Woodhouse. The reader gets to know her intimately from the age of six. We see how she functions. She is a very likable and believable main character.
There is an ethereal beauty to the novel despite the difficult theme of domestic abuse. Laura Pearson presents it with sensitivity. We see some of the abuse through the eyes of a child. “I sat in my bedroom wondering whether my mother might be dead.” There are some heart-breaking themes as well as some beautiful ones as we see Shelley Woodhouse being loved and protected by her grandmother.
Our upbringing shapes us. “Dad left and I don’t want to risk anyone else deciding to go.” Shelley Woodhouse aged six, has decided that she must be a ‘good girl’ so no one else ever leaves her. It is a motto she lives by.
Her young eyes and heart saw far too much of life. “There are only so many times you can be called hideous things before you start to wonder if they might be true.” If no one tells us any difference, we believe the lies that people tell us.
There is the danger of the past repeating itself. Lessons learnt from her mum; mean Shelley Woodhouse knows how to use makeup to cover the bruises. It is heart-breaking.
It is also heart-breaking to see the lies that women tell themselves. “I let it happen. I didn’t leave.” Abuse is never their fault and they need positive re-enforcement. “It’s not your fault.”
We witness the strength of the women when they realise they are not alone. “We have to go on living despite these men who have tried to ruin us.”
There are good men in the world and the novel has several kind hearts.
The whole book is beautifully and sensitively written. Laura Pearson has a very personable style enabling the reader to fully immerse themselves in her world.
Despite the heart-breaking topic, there is much love within the novel. It is this love that remains long after the last page is read.
A word: Please if you or anyone you know has been affected by the themes, please tell someone and seek help.
I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
