Laura Bennett shares her experience with emotional, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of real-life monsters. The harrowing tale offers an in-depth look at the horrors of domestic violence. Bennett's detailed accounts will haunt readers for a lifetime.
Monsters are real. Find your breaking point.
"Well, I just don't think there is anyone in this whole wide world that loves their babies as much as I love mine."
Mary proved it to be true over and over by concealing Peter's abuse and misconduct. She spent years weaving a fantastic web of lies and built a beautiful facade to hide the true evil lurking behind closed doors. It was easy to see where her son learned his manipulative ways. Mary was a master of deceit, and Peter had a lifetime of training from his mother.
Laura Bennett shares her experience with emotional, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of real-life monsters. The harrowing tale offers an in-depth look at the horrors of domestic violence. Bennett's detailed accounts will haunt readers for a lifetime.
The Lesser of Two Evils is also a testament of strength and resilience, offering a message of hope for victims of domestic violence.
Professional Reviews
Brilliantly written story of abuse and clinging to hope. A must read.
Amy Pilkington’s book, The Lesser of Two Evils, is not an easy read. It is a worthwhile read. It is an important cautionary tale. It is not easy. It dives deep into the life of abuse victim and protagonist, Laura. Laura wouldn’t want to be called a victim, but I have no better word. She is a sacrificial lamb of sorts, playing punching bag and sex object to more than one man in her life, and a mental punching bag to others. Her purpose is trying to keep the peace, but peace isn’t a part of her life. Turmoil, sadness, depression, yes. Not peace. Not all is sunshine and roses, but she miraculously clings to those tiny little rays of sunshine that slip through the cracks of an otherwise dark prison they have made for her. Her story is often without peace, but it is not entirely devoid of hope. As long as she has breath in her body, she manages to cling to hope.
Pilkington is a brave and brilliant writer. She not only peels back the curtain on physical, emotional, mental, and sexual abuse, but she yanks it down, burns it, and shatters the window. No holds barred. She gives all those “Why doesn’t she just leave him?” kind of women a voice. Laura was gaslighted and painted into a corner at the same time. Every option was a bad option. Both her captors and her choices boiled down to “the lesser of two evils.”
I blew through this book in two days, even with a full schedule. It is a page-turner that you will not want to put down. Readers will get invested in Laura’s life very quickly. It starts when she is a young girl and follows her into adulthood. She is a well-meaning, big-hearted girl with a hard life that she doesn’t deserve. She is continually beaten down, both physically and mentally. She is told she is a liar and stupid and worse so often that she begins to believe it at times. She wiggles out of tough situations just to find herself lured back in. If you’re like me, you may want to scream at her at times for going back. She is manipulated time and time again into thinking things will be different or better.
I can’t help but think of the Bible verses that read, “Love does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no records of wrongs…” Laura’s life is full of what love is not, but Laura still manages to be full of what love is. She self-professes that she’s no angel, but she risks her health and her life time and time again to protect others. She takes the brunt of what “love is not” to keep others from having to. Laura is beaten and bruised and abused beyond what any person should have to endure, but she keeps on getting up. She keeps going. She keeps hoping for a day and for a life when she can escape the madness permanently.
I’m giving Amy Pilkington’s The Lesser of Two Evils 5 out of 5 stars. The writing is brilliant, and the story is important. Please share it with anyone you know who has found themselves in a similar situation or recommend it as a cautionary tale for young adults who are new to figuring love and life out. It is raw, but it is powerful. It can be ugly, but it is necessary. It is a brave look into a life that far too many women experience. It’s a note slipped to them that says, “You’re not alone, and your story isn’t over.”
I met Jerome on a busy city street in Baltimore, Maryland, when he was forty-five years old. On that particular day, I was out and about, enjoying a much-needed day off from work.
I wanted to purchase a sukiyaki sub. I parked my car in an area of
