When Andrea Jarrell was a girl, her mother often told her of their escape from Jarrell's dangerous, cunning father as if it was a bedtime story. In this real-life Gilmore Girls story, mother and daughter develop an unusual bond, complicated by a cautionary tale of sexual desire and betrayal. Once grown, Jarrell thinks she's put that chapter of her life behind her--until a woman she knows is murdered, and she suddenly sees how her mother's captivating story has also held her captive, influencing her choices in lovers and friends. Set in motion by this murder, Jarrell's compact memoir is about the difficulty that daughters have separating from--while still honoring--their mothers, and about the perils of breaking the hereditary cycle of addiction. It's also about Jarrell's quest to make a successful marriage and family of her own--a journey first chronicled in her "Modern Love" essay for
The New York Times. Without preaching or prescribing,
I'm the One Who Got Away is a life-affirming story of having the courage to become both safe enough and vulnerable enough to love and be loved.
My Review
This is a quick read. I felt like I got to know the author and appreciated the author sharing her story. Reading about the author's relationship with her mother, I could see and understand why she made the choices she did including the bad relationships. Andrea's mother made the same type of choices and she did not encourage Andrea to make better ones.
As Andrea realized, it took a lot of growth and self worth to realize that she did deserve to be happy and it was ok to have a family and husband, who loved her. It was nice that the author shared some of this insight in her book. Although, I do agree with another reader that I felt like the death at the beginning of the story had nothing to do with this story. At least, not with the lack of details and/or reference to tie it to this story.
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