Beautifully Broken is a compelling memoir by Reema Sukumaran. I was so drawn in by the story that once I began reading, I simply couldn’t put it down until the last page.

This book skillfully weaves together the powerful effect of family, faith and friends on a young woman’s life and how she lived it.

Here we learn that there are realities around us that we may never suspect, but which are the daily life of a friend, a neighbour, a classmate.

No other book that I have read has had such an impact on me in the last year as Beautifully Broken. Get it. Read it. Share it. Reflect on the reality.

This is easily the book with the greatest influence you will read this year.

In her debut book, “Beautifully Broken” the author, Reema Sukumaran takes painstaking effort in chronicling her life’s journey of rejection and abuse; which at times summons the reader to take a deep breath of introspection while at other times exhale the venomous hatred towards the perpetrators of her pain.

The opening chapters of the book are filled with such heart wrenching events that the reader may want to put it aside for a few hours or days before attempting to press forward. What propels one to keep reading lies in the belly of the title “Beautifully Broken”. For it is in the title that we know solace will find a resting place. The author’s use of skillful story telling, rich humor-like the time her father greeted her after a class trip with goats as part of the welcome back party is just too funny yet painful all at the same time. Additionally, unheralded transparency, and sound clinical perspective, is what will get you through to the end of this book.

The carvings of what is to be the making of this beautifully broken woman of God is the craving that will indeed catapult each reader to stop hiding behind the cold wall of silence to become the voice on the stage of boldness, for those victimized by any type of abuse.

There are four principal characters cited in this, book: a stern and abusive father, a timid and disengaged mother, a charismatic and predator chaplain, and finally a dismissive and silent church. Against this backdrop the narrator pushes through her pain and abuse to arrive at the door of wholeness. She becomes liberated and restored to tell her compelling story in order to change lives, including the life of the church.

While the book resonates with painful accounts of events one cannot ignore the well placed profound lines that give one’s spirit a lift. One such poignant line comes when the narrator crossed enemy territory to come to terms with her own vindictiveness: “For many years, I had wondered why my mother’s touch upset me. She loved hugs and snuggles from my boys and her other grandchildren. Only I withheld this loving touch from her. Was I punishing her? That was not like me. Tears flowed.”

Once you dive into the deep end of this book you will find that it will stir in you the need to stand for every child whose voice may remain silent out of fear, retribution, or shame. It will call you to take action after laying down the book to stand in the corner of the broken.

Though this is a book filled with pathos and heart wrenching experiences that no individual seeks or deserves; it ends with a “Beautifully Broken “ woman on her triumphant march. A must read!!

Did you ever look at a person and think, WOW, an incredible professional husband, six wonderful sons, a lovely home, and believe, jealousy, am sure she has had a comfortable and lucky life; and is living the dream.

Then you find out someone broke her.

What an encouraging story of hope and healing.

I loved sitting and reading this memoir. It is honest, raw, real……

It paints a concise and revealing picture of growing up in a home with abuse and/or dysfunction (or both). I would think that this book may take you to some remembrance of your own lives – at times I felt tearful, at times angry, sometimes relieved – sharing in the emotions of each chapter.

I would encourage you to read this book, and be inspired by the ability to rise above your circumstances.

Reema’s story is powerful, tragic, and so full of hope. She relives her journey through a fractured chain of events that made up the first quarter century of her life, and comes out a reassembled, scarred, yet stronger version of herself… and best of all, she knows that she is God’s favorite. If you need hope and healing from all that life has thrown at you, read this book, it will change your life.

This is a story of healing from emotional and physical abuse on the one hand, and rape on the other. But to make matters worse, it is also a story of church people, church leaders, church employees choosing to ignore what they suspected, or to outright turn a blind eye after a predator was reported. Reema writes with an honest vulnerability, frankly telling her story, and it’s clear that being able to articulate this story is a part of her healing process. Her story is an encouragement that healing is possible.

But this story is also a warning to pastors, teachers, and church leaders. Get trained in trauma response, and how to identify abuse and grooming. Listen to those gut feelings that tell you something isn’t right, even when the adult involved is a respected and loved leader, and follow up on Mandated Reporter responsibilities. So much of the pain in this story could have been avoided if one teacher or principal had simply asked a few questions and followed through.

Reema faced some scary demons in her life. Abuse is such an evil thing, because it not only victimizes us when it is initially happening, but it also victimizes us again when things trigger the pain, when we can’t share about it, when it is denied by the very people who cause it. Reema did a beautiful job of bringing to light the traumas of her childhood and young adulthood, and the price she paid for having had these things happen to her. It took a few decades to work through these things, and with the help of many loving friends and an adoring husband she was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and make her way toward it. She brought to the forefront issues that happen to many of us, but we are too ashamed to talk about. And she does it in a way that lets us know that she not only made it through all of that, but did it with grace, kindness and humour. Every memoir that gets written makes me hope that many more people will write their “story”. If not for the public, then for themselves. We are as sick as our secrets. And once we let them out, we see the precious gift to life that we always were – even if our fathers don’t see it! Thank you Reema!