In this compelling series of short stories, Marie Therese Bolden moves effortlessly from her account of experiencing sexual assault as a young girl in Sweet Naïveté to the sophistication and poise of a modern woman reflecting on her life, exploring an incident of her mother’s domestic abuse and her father’s philandering in A Father’s Legacy. In Sisters, she examines ubiquitous themes and the complexities of sibling relationships, as well as the role gender plays in family dynamics. Intertwining her story of heartbreaking, somatic grief following the sudden death of her twin brother in Tomorrow, each tale explores universal themes, culminating in triumph over adversity and as a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit.

Marie Therese Bolden is an author, screenwriter, producer, coach, mentor, and cultural commentator. She is the creator and host of the YouTube Food for Therapy Podcast show, which combines her training in psychotherapy and counselling and experience in coaching, mentoring, and metaphysics with her passions for food, hosting, and culture. In 2024, Marie Therese Bolden contributed to a TEDed discussion lesson for the XQ-SLESS Tribe: Your Excuses Are Holding You Back: Break Free by Martin Conboy. She has published in several anthologies, including The Honoured Poets of 1998 and The Liquid Mirror Anthology in 2000. Her autobiography, Sex, Spirit and the Soul of Therapy, published in 2009, recounts her life, starting with her tumultuous childhood growing up in a home with domestic violence with a father who suffered from psychiatric illnesses. Marie Therese talks candidly about her journey through twenty years of psychoanalysis and healing from her trauma and pathological grief following her mother’s death.

Customer Reviews

5.0

3 reviews

Mohit

Marie Therese Bolden’s “Family” is an unflinching memoir that chronicles four decades (1977-2024) of surviving domestic violence, sexual assault, and pathological grief. Drawing from her background in psychotherapy and 20 years of psychoanalysis, Bolden weaves together four interconnected narratives exploring a family shattered by an abusive father and a mother’s untimely death. The opening chapter, “Sweet Naïveté,” handles the protagonist’s childhood assault with devastating authenticity, while “Sisters” beautifully captures the complex bond between siblings navigating trauma together. The prose shifts between lyrical and direct styles, with recurring motifs (clocks, Phil Collins songs, cloud pictures) creating meaningful threads across time. While the timeline jumps across decades and some phrases repeat, the emotional honesty is undeniable. The final chapter, “Tomorrow”—a prose poem to her deceased twin brother—is achingly beautiful. This book will resonate profoundly with survivors of domestic violence, anyone navigating complicated grief, or readers interested in trauma psychology. Bolden’s courage in sharing this story and her message that healing is achievable makes “Family” a meaningful, important read. Content Warning: Contains graphic descriptions of domestic violence and sexual assault of a minor.
Hanadi

Marie Therese Bolden's "Family" explores intergenerational relationships, highlighting the beauty and complexity of familial bonds. Through relatable characters, she reveals emotions like love, conflict, and forgiveness. This poignant narrative encourages reflection on personal family experiences, making it a must-read that mirrors our own lives. A contemporary literary gem!
Nidal Taibi, Journalist and book critic

Family" impresses with its poise: the opening scene of "Sweet Naïveté"—1982, swimming pool, traces of Vegemite—captures a shattered innocence with a keen sense of sensory detail. In "Sisters," Phil Collins, the Tim Tams, and the shooting star recall the day before her mother's death; the "11:11" motif inscribes belief and survival in everyday life. "A Father's Legacy" is the hardest chapter: "It's a Man's World" plays as the soundtrack, and that child's drawing used to mop up the Scotch is a stunning image of dispossession. The voice, by Marie Therese Bolden, turns clinical (twenty years of treatment) and lyrical, weaves a tale of resilience rather than revenge. "Tomorrow," addressed to the twin brother, encapsulates the stupor of grief. Some images (angels, numerology) may be considered a little insistent. Overall, a sincere and courageous text, where intimate memory becomes political, and which ends with a lucid joy.