GIVEAWAY
The Predatory Lies of Anorexia:
A Survivor's Story
A Survivor's Story
by Abby Kelly
The Predatory Lies of Anorexia tells Abby Kelly's true story of her 15-year battle with anorexia.
This book blast and giveaway is brought to you by Write Now LiteraryBook Tours. Please be sure to visit the other participating blogs as well.
Description
"I want. I want you to want me. I want you to think I am the smartest, the thinnest, the most beautiful. I want you to want to be me. I want to be enviable. I want to be impervious. I want to need nothing. I want you to know that I am strong. I want to think I am better than everyone else. I want.
"I’m willing to give up everything. I will give up mind and future. I will give up health, happiness and peace. I will give up family, friends and fun. I will give up rest and comfort. I will give up food. But please, just let me keep faith."
In this raw telling of her long struggle with anorexia, Abby Kelly reveals the predatory lies that ran rampant in her disordered mind. She will lead readers through the fight to her final victory.
Readers will find empathy, compassion and insight in these pages. Most of all, they will find hope for recovery and a life beyond the battle.
Excerpt
The Flight
“You will never see me again!” I screamed. I knew I was running out of time as we approached the airport. “I’ll die there! I’m never coming home.”
“Abby, stop. You are getting yourself all worked up and we have to go inside now.” My father parked the car in the dismal parking garage. Ignoring my residual choking on tears, he got out of the car and began to extract the suitcases, careful not to get any dirt on his jeans.
Daddy always looked sharp, one more thing I hated about myself. In the last several years I had become more of a skeleton freak show than an attractive daughter he could be proud of. My face was gaunt and haggard and wore the look of an aging smoker. My breasts were flat and my waist curve-less, like a prepubescent boy. I wore sea-foam green sweat pants with the word “SPIRIT” in block letters down my right leg. The sweats hung around my thighs like a tent missing poles, but I liked them because I felt small inside them. A sloppy white t-shirt blaring “SPIRIT” as well, topped the ensemble.
“Abby, get out of the car.”
I debated for a moment, but knew that I’d never win. The wildest of my tantrums were no match for Dad’s strength, but until now, at least in the battle of wills, I had triumphed. Two days prior my parents played their trump card.
“We’ve tried everything.” My parents had me cornered in their bedroom. Mom spoke because I listened more calmly to her. “We’ve been patient while you’ve promised over and over to try. We are really, really worried about you.”
Mom’s voice broke there. Dad turned and glared at my little sisters eavesdropping from the bedroom doorway. Two sets of chocolate brown eyes and one blue pair ducked back into the hallway. Then he shut the door and stepped forward.
“You promised to gain ten pounds in two months.” Dad’s voice was taut. The six-foot-four man that I once thought invincible slouched beneath a heavy burden. “Over a month ago, you agreed to the ultimatum that you would gain eight pounds. You’re nowhere near that. You need help and this is not a discussion. Remuda Ranch agreed to admit you, and we need to be there the day after tomorrow.” Daddy turned and left the room.
I slumped to my knees on the floor. “Please, please, please, Mom! Don’t send me away. I can’t be gone for two months. You might as well disown me. I’ll die there!”
Review
This story takes us on a brutally honest, heartbreaking, treacherous path, where throughout the story we identify with Abby's struggles, we root for her as we would our own child, but are powerless to help her as she again and again makes the wrong decisions. Abby describes the milestones of her life and the mindset that she had throughout, and by the end, it's almost too much to bear. But throughout the story, the truth oscillates into and back out of focus, and finally, Abby comes to embrace the truth and the truth in fact does set her free.
Beautifully written and shockingly honest, this story is for anyone who's ever known someone with, or experienced, a mental illness and especially, an eating disorder. The story takes us to the edge and brings us back again. I highly recommend it.
About the Author
Abby Kelly is a nomadic, military spouse writing from wherever she momentarily finds herself with her husband, their wonderful dog, Brave, and two tolerable cats.
Abby began writing in the process of recovering from a more-than-decade long eating disorder. She credits Jesus Christ for her full recovery and for filling her with a passion to encourage others to seek freedom from their own addictions and struggles.
Now, Abby writes for numerous Christian publications as well as maintaining her personal blog, Predatory Lies. In her free time, she and Brave enjoy volunteering in hospitals and schools as a pet therapy team through Pet Partners.
Giveaway
Enter the shared giveaway for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card.
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