Book Review for Pet: the Journey from Abuse to Recovery by Kelly Hanna-Wayne

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review. 

Pet, by Kelly Hanna-Wayne, is a poetry collection about a woman who illustrates her journey of violence, from first falling in love with her abuser, to eventually escaping and teaching others how to stay away from toxic relationships. The collection is separated into six parts. Part I: Repression details the horrifying ways the poet’s abuser cornered her and stripped her of her identity and power. Part II: Recovery demonstrates how difficult it is to let go of a relationship, no matter how traumatic it was. Part III: Retrospect showcases the harrowing experience of falling in love and trusting someone again. Part IV: Resilience has the poet continuing to recover, in spite of her past, and preventing others from suffering the way she suffered. 

Much of the poems are haunting. I read them, and I’m reminded of women who have had their children taken away from them by domineering men who intimidated them into silence, women who will fight tooth and nail for a relationship that only incriminates their sanity, women who will gladly throw their heart and souls away just for a single word of praise. One poem that I’m still stuck on was Ghost Lines Act 1, where the poet continues to reiterate what her abuser asks her to say. She sounds robotic almost, with the only emotion peeking through is downright terror. The same terror was shown again, and yet, by the end of the book, the poet was able to lead her younger self away from the monsters. 

While this book can be triggering, it portrays just how hard it is to let go of the past. Abuse isn’t something you can just get over, and while some may have more resilience than others, it’s still a journey to try to find yourself and your identity, to fall in love with yourself again. Because of this, I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars, and would recommend it along with poems from The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass and Lauren Davis, as well as readers who enjoy authors such as Melody Beattie, Pia Mellody, Lundy Bancroft.