TRISTAN SHERWIN

It’s been awhile since I posted a book review on my blog, as I’ve just been posting them direct on Goodreads.com.

However, this book needs to be shouted about.

It’s hard to find the words to describe this book. Some of that may be down to the nature of it’s topic: domestic abuse; a topic, as Natalie points out in the introduction, that makes most people uncomfortable. But in the main, I think my struggle for words is born from my awareness of how imperative and potent this book is.

So maybe I could begin by saying that it’s informative and practical; a robust guide to what constitutes abuse, how abusers operate, and how to support those experiencing it. This would certainly be true. There’s a wealth of reliable information here to blow apart the misconceptions surrounding domestic abuse; bringing its manifestations, brutality, and the trauma it inflicts into sharp, sobering focus.

However, describing this book solely in these terms could, I feel, leave you with the impression that this is merely a text book to glean statistics and information from. When actually, this is so much more than raw data—this is raw experience.

Collins has been there, and her passion to see this blight exposed and its victims released radiates through every syllable of this book. By openly sharing from her own story of domestic abuse—and other case studies that her work has brought her into contact with—Collins certainly doesn’t sugarcoat it: *Out of Control* will rightly upset you. But with great sensitivity, Collins not only guides the reader into seeing a reality that many of us are blind to (or choose to close our eyes to), but also successfully demonstrates how our cultural norms, distorted portrayals of the victims of abuse, and twisted theology can (and do) collude with the abuser’s mindset; giving them the vindication, platform and covering they need to perpetuate abuse.

Because of that, I can’t merely describe this as informative, well-researched and practical. It’s also jarring and prophetic. Equally, to take such suffering, face it down, push back against it and raise a prophetic cry for others to hear, is nothing short of heroic. This book oozes with courage, wisdom and hope.

Bottom line: Collins has written a much needed, must-read for anybody who’s interested in creating and curating a better world.

You can follow Natalie Collins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/God_loves_women

Natalie also blogs here: https://mrsglw.wordpress.com/

And you can purchase Out of Control here: https://spckpublishing.co.uk/out-of-control