On the Edge of Shattered

I took my time deciding whether to read On The Edge of Shattered because I was concerned that it might strike rather too close to home. Sober now for over twenty years myself, I could strongly identify with Kimberly when she talked about not being able to restrict her alcohol intake to just one drink and about using alcohol to give herself the self-confidence she needed for social interactions. Kimberly recounts her descent into alcohol addiction and her subsequent journey into sobriety as two interwoven narrative threads, switching between each chapter by chapter. I felt this device worked brilliantly well because the darkness of her drinking years does get pretty deep and I felt we needed the newly found joy of her sobriety to counter it. Despite the popular perception of alcohol consumption being associated with good times and celebrations, its addictive effects can easily make drinking far from a happy experience. On The Edge of Shattered is a searingly honest memoir which I felt Kimberly was incredibly brave firstly just to write, but also to put out into the world for women finding themselves in similar situations. Even if she had only written this book for her own eyes, it would have been quite the undertaking, dealing as it does with very personal events and memories. There is much in Kimberly's experience, particularly in describing her earlier years of emotional repression and social fear, that I recognised and could connect with. On The Edge of Shattered was sometimes a difficult read emotionally for me, but it was also ultimately a rewarding one and I am glad to have had this opportunity to review it. I hope other women can make the same positive connection with Kimberly's words as I did.