Carol Newman, both author and narrator, delivered her story with confidence and an unmistakable cadence of truth in each word she uttered during the narration of her novel. The Road to Anywhere But Here is a compelling tale of survivorship; Carol bravely shared the horrifying abuse she suffered as a child and provided a lens to observe what life was like for an abused young girl in the 1960s living in Canada with her Scottish immigrant family. Her mother had issues with drug abuse and severe mental problems, and her father struggled to remain consistently employed that often forced the family to move multiple times. Each change of residence presented its own set of challenges and variants of abuse, including neglect, molestation, and poverty. Food insecurity and living on Welfare was another hardship the family faced and caused Carol and her brother Alan to have to grow up quickly.

Also, Carol narrated the heartbreak of being overweight during a time when fat-shaming was not only allowed, but generally encouraged among cruel school-age children. The tone of Carol’s voice in the recitation of these tales imbued her words with a sorrowful truth that only a survivor could accurately portray.

Carol examined the after-effects of the abuse into her adult-life. Bouncing from city-to-city and man-to-man through her 20s and early 30s, Carol learned how to break the patterns of self-doubt and the negative wiring that child abuse installed within her brain during her formative years. Throughout the chapters of Carol’s adult life, there are a few narrations from her past partners that chime in briefly on their “side-of-the-story.” This feature added texture to the oral narrative and depth to the overall tone of the story.

There are several tales woven within the later chapters in Carol’s early adult life that bring a dry hilarity to some of the adventures Carol experienced during her years in musical bands that she traveled and performed with around the country. Also, the birth of her daughter Nicki and how the birth of her first daughter filled her life with joy, love, new meanings, and struggles that only mothers experience.

The Road to Anywhere But Here is more than a novel, it is a memoir of Carol’s life, and a salute to the human spirit and how much strife it can endure. Also, The Road to Anywhere But Here provides a message of hope for those who are working towards unwiring the after-effects of abuse, that a good life after abuse is possible.