A poetic and haunting exploration of one woman’s journey to reclaim faith and family after enduring abuse.
In her evocative debut memoir, Sherbill delves into a childhood shadowed by the complexities of family, faith, and survival. As the daughter of a rabbi who guided his congregation with compassion but ruled his home with anger, she writes of a father she both adored and resented. “Caught between the desire to live a holy life and the dark impulses that plagued him,” she reflects. This experience of domestic abuse affected her relationships deeply, not only with her family—including a close bond with her younger siblings—but also with her faith. Sherbill’s reflections on the Sabbath and how Judaism permeated her upbringing reveal her struggle to reconcile her spirituality with the painful memories of her father. She poignantly asks, “Sometimes people go looking for God because they have no mother or father. What about us? We had both, yet still felt like wanderers. That is where God comes in.”
While the themes Sherbill addresses—abuse and religion—may be difficult for some readers, her candid voice and honest portrayal of family add nuance and depth. In discussing her father, she writes, “He talks about ahava and yirah, love and fear. ‘The two are linked together,’ he tells me, as though I don’t know.” Her lyrical style offers just enough detail to ground readers without overpowering the narrative’s wide reach. Though challenging, her redemptive perspective leaves readers with a sense of hope.
A moving story of one woman’s quest to find redemption in faith and family amidst hardship.
