What an incredible memoir! It's hard to believe this actually happened, especially in Canada. It truly goes to show you that you never know what, exactly, is going on behind the closed doors in someone's home. I commend Pauline for being so brave as to share her story. Highly recommended, you won't be able to put it down.

This was a bizarre story. The author's mother was entranced by a guy who was completely delusional and had em believing for years that they were under surveillance and constant,y being threatened, it only he had contact with this underworld. I doubted the veracity of the tall tales. Eventually, the author realized it was all a load of lies, but much damage and heartache had ensued.
It was an interesting read and demonstrates how susceptible people can be to the convictions of others,

this is a very remarkable true story! I will admit that the writing wasn't my favorite and the going back and forth from present to past should have been done better and the book would have flowed so much better.

I started reading this book not realizing it was a memoir. As I was reading it, my thoughts were, what an incredible story! Finding out it was a personal experience, made it even more incredible!
Having to hide from an alcoholic father was a hard and scary experience for a young child. Having to be uprooted and moved from one place to another, was a tragedy. Hiding from a father who is involved with the mafia, and that puts your life is in danger, is catastrophic.
This is the life that this mother and her two children have to face each day.
Not knowing if your life may be ended, just because you shared something with a friend can make you psychologically damaged. This didn't just happen for a month or a year, this was a daily insurance for many many years. This is a highly intriguing book. It definitely leaves you with the knowledge that you have gone through a life adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
5 stars

Fascinating recount. The pace was excellent but the writing style was choppy which made it hard to keep interest.

Wow. This book is part thriller/part true crime novel/part mental health memoir. After about the first quarter of the book I was hooked, shocked, and not sure what to believe.

As a child, Dakin spent her life moving from city to city across Canada, often picking up in the middle of the night and leaving without a trace, never understanding why she couldn't share any details of her life with anyone else. As an adult, her mother finally shared the reasons why, that they were on the run from organized crime figures. Her story doesn't end here, rather this where it really begins. As Dakin begins to go back through her childhood memories with these new revelations, more and more questions arise. And soon Dakin is wondering just who can she trust.

I spent a lot of my time reading this book just shaking my head. It's so hard to fathom that this was someone's childhood or that these are the behaviours of the adults in Dakin's life. It's sad to see how people are affected by the actions of one person and how they are affected their entire lives even long after that person has left their life.

While I felt like the book could have been structured in a different way (I felt that the middle part dragged a bit after such an explosive beginning and I wanted to get to the end to get the explanation why it all happened) it moved and touched me. My emotions were definitely all over the place!

This memoir reads just like a novel, it's a page turner. At times it was hard to believe that it was a true story. It obviously took great strength for Dakin to not just write but to write so thoughtfully.

The first half of the book you will want to put it down as it is just over the top and not believable but in the second half of the book it explains the first half. I really can''t say too much without rehashing the whole book. But thanks to the 2nd half I really understood what the author went thru and how untreated mental health can affect those around people. I highly recommend this book but don't give up half way thru.

Truly the adage "truth is stranger than fiction" come to life. This account of a woman who is swept up in a family drama wholly created by the delusions of a clergyman is as riveting as it is disturbing.