By Karen McCarraher
Dana Killion’s Where The Shadows Dance is a memoir of a woman married to an alcoholic.
It took her years to recognize his addiction since he always denied it. After all, he went to work every day and earned a good living, how could he be an alcoholic? At first, she tried the usual: AA, therapy, rehab but even as she continued to urge him to get help, he refused. She writes about the anger, the guilt, the frustration and the emptiness of her life. They separated a few times but she always took him back. Eventually the sadness and the numbness overtook her. She fought with herself before she was ready to let go. She needed space so she moved to Florida. She planned to stay with her father until she found her own space but very soon realized that her father needed help. And she turned into a caregiver once again. Her father was not an easy man to live with and he constantly belittled her. Finally, finally she was able to gather her self-esteem and begin a new life in Tucson.
Where The Shadows Dance is a gut-wrenching look at life with an alcohol addict. Alcohol does not just affect the user. It leaches into every aspect of life: family, friends, work, and faith. Dana Killion has exposed her life and her struggles in the hope that someone else reading it might recognize themselves and take action sooner than she did. I applaud her courage.
Dana Killion grew up in Wisconsin and in her early years, she found inspiration in the activities of Nancy Drew. She created a mystery series based on her desire to shed light on the shadows. She currently lives in Tucson, Arizona with her cat, Isabel.
Where The Shadows Dance is published by Amplify Publishing Group and available from Amazon.com.