Abuse, Fator notes, like a bad gene, can be passed down from one generation to the next. So, sadly it is not shocking to learn that Fator’s troubles began in the womb, her mother’s womb, when her own mother wishes her unborn daughter dead to spare her from an abusive father. And the legacy of suffering to come.
This memoir feels epic in its weight and volume, detailing countless travails and feats. Fator travels from the hands of an abusive father to an abusive husband. Like Odysseus, Fator will be tested in many inhumane ways – physically, emotionally and spiritually. When Fator decides to pursue a divorce, she will lose everything, including seeing her children for six years. It’s incredible, and incredibly inspiring to discover how much one person can bear and still be so positive. Overall, this memoir probably could have benefited from a little more editing and tightening, but that is a minor quibble.
KEEPING LAUGHTER ALIVE is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Kudos to Marie Fator for triumphing over her unbelievably difficult circumstances to help survivors of abuse.
Reviewed by Lucy Wang for IndieReader