MONSTERS, MICE AND MERCY
A life redeemed from abuse
By Jenny-May Hudson
Monarch Books. 273 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 0 857 214 461
This is the autobiographical account of Jenny-May Hudson’s life. She recounts the horrific abuse she suffered, both at the hands of her father and others.
Since the death of her father in the late 1980s, Jenny-May tells how, as a wife and mother of three, she is now learning, by God’s grace, to accept her past and to overcome the fear and suspicion that she lived with for many years.
Unlike similar secular books, Jenny-May says herself that this is not merely a book about a ‘hard life’ but about ‘the victory of the human spirit through the grace of God’. Therefore, as well as exposing the cruel nature of the abuse Jenny-May experienced, and the resulting psychological and emotional damage, it also tackles the processes through which God can bring about healing and restoration.
The book works chronologically through the author’s life. Her vivid retelling of various incidents necessarily makes for fairly uncomfortable reading. It is heart-rending to think that anyone grows up in these circumstances and, as I was reading, I couldn’t help but wonder about those in our churches who have lived through similar nightmares.
The final third of the book tackles Jenny-May’s journey to forgive both her abusers and herself. It is in this section of the book that reference is made to her Christian faith – Jenny-May identifies the fatherhood of God, and the gentle working of the Holy Spirit in her life, as the means by which God has healed her and enabled her to enjoy restored relationships with others. I would love to read more of how Jenny-May has brought Scripture to bear on her painful circumstances, more of how God’s forgiveness towards her has enabled her to forgive others. Nevertheless, given everything she endured, it is a great testament to God’s grace that Jenny-May can say towards the end of the book that she has changed from ‘damaged’ to ‘restored’, from ‘alone’ to ‘loved’, and from someone who has ‘toxic emotions’ to someone who enjoys ‘hope’ and whose identity is secure in Christ.
This book may be helpful for those travelling a similar journey of recovery themselves – though only if they can cope with Jenny-May’s retelling of the brutality she endured. I imagine this book will be most helpful to those who want to understand better the horrors of childhood abuse, it’s implications and the possibility of change in the lives of those affected.
