I flew through reading Stella Gibney's autobiography 'It Will Get Better' after eyeing it warily for a bit. The back cover synopsis tells a story of tragic and awful circumstances and I am always a little worried about putting myself through those kind of stories.
Yes, the stories of Stella's life aren't pleasant or even easy but she writes them with total grace and humanity. It is her simple and honest delivery that makes it so readable, and ultimately far less harrowing than it must have been to live through.
I was thinking of her style and I thought about the making of a cake for someone - when you deliver it you can apologise for it and point out the mistakes, you can talk it up, you can tell the great drama of the cake making crises that occurred in its production or delivery ..or .. you can simply bake the cake and offer it as a gift - un-garnished with explanations and justifications.
This is what Stella does so perfectly. She simply hands you the story - not apologising for it's difficulties or painting herself as a victim or heroine. She is who she is and her story is as it stands. It is delicate and gentle and truthful. I imagine her to be those things in real life too.
All of us tell the stories of our lives every day in the way we represent ourselves to the world - I'd like to think that this book has encouraged me to be less worried about how I do that and more concerned with being simply myself and accepting others with the same kind of grace.
Set in NZ and Australia this is Stella's story. If you cannot see a way beyond your current circumstances or you are overwhelmed by your past, or you would like to read an honest story that lets you make your own decisions about its characters, I think you will find this story hope-filled and like a depth breath of fresh air.
Details - PUBLISHED: June 2014 Allen & Unwin RRP: $29.99 AU EBOOK: Yes
love you more than finding hopefulness where you expected tragedy xxx
