Unintended Consequences is a story of survival for one small child plagued by the actions of others. The authors perilous journey through experiences speaks to her resilience and shows where joy was felt in the shadows. As a child, Janet would turn to drugs and alcohol. As an adult, filled with guilt and shame, Janet would find herself tied to her alcoholism and addiction and unable to see any way out. A mother at 16 and again at 18, she worked to be the best mother she could. Getting to her bottom, she would go from being a professional working woman, with a nice house and set financially, to jail, and ultimately to homeless and alone.
It started when she was young. Those things that should not happen. Sexually abused by her grandfather and other male characters, beaten and berated by her grandmother, Janet endured. There were relatives who knew things about Janet’s life, but with hands tied, metered out small amounts of kindness. Men took advantage of her inability to tell right from wrong. Janet became a runner. Trying to escape all the bad things and the feelings they brought her. She never got far, being pulled back into the darkness of her mind.
Grandmother, being the main caregiver, provided little in the way of affection or guidance. Grandmother was haunted by her own childhood. She was forced to take in two of her grandchildren when no one else wanted them. Janet’s brother was born sickly and would need constant care in infancy and childhood. Caring for her brother, Grandmother had little time left for Janet, the healthy child. Grandmothers resentments and her own pain boiled over onto Janet.
Grandpa, although sexually abusing, was kind, if not understanding of how Grandmother treated her. As the father figure, Grandpas actions further confused and fractured an already fragile mind.
An older man would abduct Janet from her home when she was fifteen. Keeping her hostage for nearly two years. On the run, facing prison, he took Janet across the country and back. He would deal out beatings and abuses. Janet would become brainwashed, living in fear every day, believing the things he told her about herself. It would be a harrowing escape for her and her infant son from this madman.
Unintended Consequences concludes with a way out and the people who were there to help her. The story sets up how change began and how the ability to change grew inside. The book brings readers into the world of recovery from the traumas, abuses, and addictions.
