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Our Little Secret

My life in the shadow of abuse

Shadow of abuse

OUR LITTLE SECRET
My Life in the Shadow of Abuse
By Tori Dante with Julia Fisher
Hodder& Stoughton. 211 pages. £5.99
ISBN 0 340 78590 X

If you are squeamish about frank sexual details, preferring the blanket term, 'sexual abuse', then this book is not for you.

It is the story of Tori Dante, wife of the World Wide Message Tribe's Cameron Dante; a story that should probably be read by church leaders and youth workers, as well as by other adult Christians. It will be of equal value in enlightening those who come from loving Christian homes and comforting those who have suffered abuse themselves.

In the first part of the book Tori describes, honestly and openly, what it felt like to be abused from such a young age, and how that abuse affected not only her own behaviour but her whole family. The second part describes a struggle of a different kind - the struggle of a new Christian trying to come to terms with her past in the light of her new life in Christ.

The book offers no quick fixes. Tori writes of her experience of what she describes as a meeting with the Holy Spirit and subsequent speaking in tongues with joy and amazement, but she acknowledges that this was followed by times of doubt and difficulty. Life and faith were particularly hard when she and other members of her family prepared to take her father to court and during this time she faced her mother's hostility and lack of support as well.

I empathised with her struggles about forgiveness. She felt herself to be lovingly and gloriously forgiven by God but should she, could she, forgive a father who was not in the least repentant?

When a story is so deeply painful and personal it seems hard to offer any kind of criticism. I have to say, however, that at times I do feel that the Christian press is prepared to publish what is perceived to be a good story regardless of its literary merit. This seems to be such a publication - the standard of writing is not high and the style is frequently abrupt and repetitive.

The book concludes with a chapter containing excellent advice for youth workers and church leaders and there is a short list of useful contacts at the end.

Margaret Jones, Swanley