Dragonslippers: This Is What An Abusive Relationship Looks Like - Softcover

Penfold, Rosalind B

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143050206 ISBN 13: 9780143050209

Publisher: Penguin Canada, 2005

Synopsis

When Rosalind Penfold met Brian, she was swept off her feet. Romantic and exuberant, with four loving children, Brian was everything a woman could possibly want, and Roz fell deeply in love. But soon Roz began to notice troublesome signs that Brian was not what he seemed. A pattern of small lies and petty cruelties emerged which, over the course of their relationship, would encompass a litany of verbal, emotional, sexual, and physical abuse truly appalling in its scope and malevolence.

Often too traumatized and ashamed to admit the true extent of what she was experiencing, Roz instead poured her anguish into a series of graphic diaries. The result is a touching, profoundly shocking, and completely original portrait of domestic abuse.

An extraordinary visual testimony, Dragonslippers presents the many warning signs of abuse and offers a frank examination of the psychology of both abusers and victims. Above all, however, it is the story of a woman who fought for and found the strength to break free.

About this title

About the Author:

Rosalind B. Penfold is a pseudonym.

From Publishers Weekly:

In this deft, honest work, writer-illustrator Penfold documents how she traveled from successful businesswoman to abused wife and back again. With a simple, naïve drawing style and matter-of-fact tone, Penfold illustrates just how a confident person can be seduced and dominated by another. Her story starts when she meets Brian at a party and he sweeps her off her feet. A widower, he's ready for a full-time woman in his life, and Roz rapidly becomes absorbed into his sphere, sharing outings and devoting her weekends to his four children. But warning bells start ringing even before they leave for their whirlwind wedding in Greece, and his Jekyll and Hyde routine begins almost immediately after. Penfold, a well-adjusted and compassionate woman, is at first confused by his behavior and reluctant to write off her husband as an abusive, possibly schizophrenic, probable alcoholic. She questions herself, and tries harder, sticking around because she feels deeply responsible for his children, even as his behavior becomes ever more erratic and horrifying. Penfold's simplistic art and direct style are nothing fancy, but they still enable her to tell a compelling story—readers will be relieved by the strength she shows to leave this doomed relationship. (Apr.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Canada
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0143050206
• ISBN 13: 9780143050209
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272