Book Review - The Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis

If you've ever battled to reconcile conflicting feelings for a parent, you will relate to Laura Davis' searing memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars.

This is the story of two strong and interesting women whose already volatile relationship is blown apart by memories of child sexual abuse. As anyone who has experienced this kind of abuse can attest, the telling of those events is traumatic. The rejection of the story we tell by those closest to us is not only re-traumatising, it creates a schism that can often never be healed.

As she relates the twists and turns of her relationship with her mercurial mother, Temme, Laura is unflinching as she examines her own behaviour, revealing thoughts and feelings most of us keep deeply hidden in those dark and dusty places in the mind we prefer not to visit. It makes for riveting reading.

For what do we do when the person who has betrayed us then needs our help? In Laura's case, having kept thousands of miles between them, she is faced with the prospect of caring for Temme as she slips into her final years. To the horror of both, the mother-daughter roles begin to reverse, and both women are forced to confront the frontiers of their complicated relationship.

Confronting the reality of juggling for caring for a parent whilst bringing up teenagers, maintaining a relationship and working full time, Laura and Temme's story is a story for our times. By turns sad, funny and poignant, it is always truthful. Sometimes painfully so. But ultimately you will come away from reading it with a sense of compassion for them both and renewed hope in the possibility of reconciliation. This is a mother/daughter story that cannot fail to touch your heart.

You can read the opening chapters of The Burning Light of Two Stars here:  http://www.lauradavis.net/chapters

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