This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
In Where the Shadows Dance, Dana Killion chronicles her experiences living with her husband's alcoholism and their eventual divorce. The memoir leans into Killion's emotional struggles from living with an alcoholic, marked by feelings of emptiness and helplessness. Initial signs of trouble included an incident of verbal abuse, which Killion recognized as a warning of worsening addiction. Despite attempts to address the issue through conversations, therapy, and support groups, the severity of her husband's drinking and infidelity strained their marriage. Still, she tried to reconcile, until the emotional strain intensified with the COVID-19 pandemic and her father's declining health made it wholly untenable. Killion's journey involves managing divorce proceedings, coping with isolation, and seeking personal renewal. Her move to Tucson marks a fresh start as she continues to maneuver through personal and familial responsibilities, but not allowing them to break her.
Dana Killion delivers a refreshingly honest, candid, and thoughtful look into a tumultuous life in Where the Shadows Dance. Her memoir is marked by her genuine emotional depth and vulnerability, capturing in acute detail the sense of isolation and betrayal she experienced. Killion's writing is simple and straightforward, and it is heartbreaking to follow her gradual realization of addiction's destructive impact on her life. I was most moved by her belief that she somehow enabled his behavior and was forced to maintain secrecy due to societal expectations. I do not agree with the former but completely understand the latter. There is one discussion with a counselor in which Killion is terrified to write her experiences down out of fear her ex-husband would find them. I can definitely see how this memoir would be helpful to others who are in the throes of, or recovering from, relationships with addicts, as Killion crafts a far too relatable account of the pain, but with the promise of a new beginning. Very highly recommended.
