No Comfort: A Nightmare of Physical, Psychological, and Sexual Child Abuse; A Journey of Forgiveness and Reconciliation; A Story of Courage, Love, and Hope

by Dan Pietsch

Take your Dramamine and prepare for a rough crossing; journeys to the dark side and back are seldom smooth.

Unflinching in his portrayal of child abuse, yet adamant that hope is eternal, Dan Pietsch takes readers through the bleakness of childhood in a dysfunctional family, the exuberance of first love, the heartbreak of overwhelming loss, and, finally, to a fresh start filled with new hope.

No Comfort is not always easy reading, and its voice may not always ring politically correct, but it is sure to draw you in, move you, and make you think.

280 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2009

About the author

As a child, Dan Pietsch lived for several years in the town where Osama bin Laden was found skulking. Dan has earned a living as a technical writer, as a teacher, and, more recently, as the owner of a game and toy store. He is married to the world's most long-suffering woman and lives somewhat hermitishly in a ten-sided tower on a hill overlooking the small town of Idyllwild, California.

Reviews

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT READ Found hard to put dow.
Sad in places but kept you wanting to read more, Really enjoyed this book, well worth reading you
Won't be disappointed.

[The OG Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

No Comfort was a heartbreaking story about the life of Llewellyn Trout presented in a journal/blog format. I had a hard time accepting the format Pietsch chose for this book. Very little structure, if any, resulted in grammar mayhem. In the beginning, I was less bothered by this decision; since No Comfort was told in first person, Lew was young and it was written in the tongue a young boy would use. As the story progressed, and Lew aged, I was hoping the language would too. I found my frustration continually growing.

I am still perplexed of the validity of this story. The Foreward presents No Comfort as a true account of the life of Llewellyn Trout; it even references encouragement and affirmation by a Dr. Kent, Doctor of Psychiatry. Yet, a list at the end of the book for other fictional stories of abuse implies No Comfort is a work of fiction. I realize abuse is relevant and needs awareness, but I am not sure this story is going to do that.

At the halfway point, I have decided to shelve this book. Not because of the disturbing nature of its content, but rather because I have read other accounts of abuse providing a better explanation of the seriousness of issue.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story and I liked how he told it through a blog format. I usually do not like books written in first person, however, in this case it seemed fitting. The subject matter of the book is tough to take but also very real. Sexual abuse is a big problem in our world. As for the story itself, the beginning really caught me right away but the middle kind of lost me for awhile. The end picked up again. I really felt for Lew and everything he had to go through. There is a lot of swearing in this book but I think it adds to who the character is and how he was raised.

[Corissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was messed up! It absolutely holds your interest the whole time, but in a way that you want the sickness to just stop. The things Lew has to experience are incredibly sad and disgusting. This book is for people with a strong stomach!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am glad I had the honor of being a first-read winner of this book. All I can say is wow! I loved this book and would have to say this is my favorite book of 2013 so far. This book takes dysfunctional family to a whole other level and is a must read for anyone!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I marked "liked" but it was hard to read due to the abuse of young children. It is hard to accept that this really happens...but it does.