Mary Hamer

Rudyard Kipling has always been a hero of mine. He always struck me as a complex, talented man who lived during a dynamic period of British history. I couldn't wait to delve into Kipling and Trix, to read a fictionalized, albeit meticulously researched, account of the great writer and his sister, from their troubled beginnings through to adulthood. I was not disappointed. Mary Hamer reveals two complicated siblings who endure together an extended period of exile from their parents, a passion for story telling and writing and a never ending desire for recognition and acceptance. I found the story a bit disjointed at times, sometimes jumping to different periods of time without a clear indication of when events were taking place. Nontheless, it is a compelling tale of fascinating, talented, and often tortured individuals. I learned a lot, especially about Trix Kipling and found it a very enjoyable read.… (mais)

Mary Hamer offers a new perspective on incest, making the link with the scandal of sexual abuse on the part of priests. She explores the contradiction that while the occurrence of incest is widespread, it is almost universally a taboo subject. Her approach removes the taboo from the discussion of incest, and places sexual abuse in the context of the whole social order. She invites readers to focus on the neurological damage caused by traumatic experience, arguing that it is the overwhelming of one person by another that constitutes abuse, and this which causes damage, not the fact of a close relationship.… (mais)