“The quiet but inexorable breaking down of self-esteem is much more sinister - it’s violation of the soul.”
―
Rachel Abbott,
Only the Innocent
“A radio was playing quietly. Nobody was listening. It was there to drown out the silence.” ― Rachel Abbott, The Back Road
“She searched her mind for a single day when it had felt good to be alive. There must have been one, surely?” ― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent
“It was as if she would never be whole until the secrets of the past were exposed.” ― Rachel Abbott, The Back Road
“Each time he came he would twist my defenceless body into a different pose, as if I were his very own doll” ― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent
“Today is the day after my wedding. And nothing is the way I expected it to be.” ― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent
“Within our working lives, and perhaps even amongst friends, we see deceptions played out before our eyes: people who pretend to be happy when they are aching with sadness, or to like each other when they feel nothing but contempt. Perhaps these are actions of self-preservation, driven by a will to hide our pain from a wider audience. Within a relationship, though, pretence is indeed both unreasonable and illogical. Admit to being the person you really are. Never play that deadly game of charades.” ― Rachel Abbott, The Back Road
“I would rather have been with one parent who was genuinely happy than with two who had so many axes to grind you could almost hear them being sharpened.” ― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent
“Emma wondered not for the first time how silence could vary so much in pitch and tone. This silence held a high-pitched scream at its heart.” ― Rachel Abbott, Stranger Child
“Even those we’ve loved all our lives are highly unlikely to be perfect.” ― Rachel Abbott, Sleep Tight
“When shame is your own, it’s hard enough to bear. When other people are witness to it, it becomes intolerable.” ― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent
“For some people, life is like that. They filter out the positive and focus on the negative. They make assumptions about what somebody else is thinking, and believe only in the worst possible outcome.” ― Abbott, Rachel, The Back Road
“How easy it is to blame the present on the past, and allow history to shape the future. How many of us justify our current behaviour by reference to events long gone? Is this true within your relationship? Are you allowing past mistakes to dictate your destiny? If pain has been inflicted by a loved one, you may search for reasons and explanations that simply can’t be found. You pick away at the scar that is trying to heal, and cause the blood to flow again. You seek reassurances that you may never truly believe. The scar becomes ragged and ugly to all who can see it, and you become the walking wounded, waiting to be hurt again. Accept that your history has changed you. Rejoice in your survival. Let the wounds heal to form a stronger, more resilient you, and remember that forgiveness is not something we do for other people—we do it for ourselves. So forgive yourself for being a victim. Look positively to the here and now. Put the past behind you and think of it as somewhere you once visited, and possibly didn’t like very much. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Buddha” ― Rachel Abbott, The Back Road
“Sometimes she thought of David as an ostrich, burying his head in the sand and forcing himself to believe that all would be well. It was one of the few things about him that she found frustrating. It wasn't so much optimism as an inability to face reality and a tendency to look for the easy way out. It wasn't going to work this time. There was no easy way out.” ― Rachel Abbott, Stranger Child
“what that meant. He could spend the night” ― Rachel Abbott, Sleep Tight
“One of the women was a natural bitch – all women recognise them, but men rarely do.” ― Rachel Abbott, Sleep Tight
“forgiveness is not something we do for other people—we do it for ourselves. So forgive yourself for being a victim. Look positively to the here and now. Put the past behind you and think of it as somewhere you once visited, and possibly didn’t like very much. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Buddha” ― Abbott, Rachel, The Back Road
“Well, she thought, I made a right cock of that.” ― Rachel Abbott, The Sixth Window
“How could pain that wasn’t inflicted by a physical assault hurt so much? How could emotional distress turn into this agonising emptiness?” ― Rachel Abbott, Stranger Child
“A radio was playing quietly. Nobody was listening. It was there to drown out the silence.” ― Rachel Abbott, The Back Road
“She searched her mind for a single day when it had felt good to be alive. There must have been one, surely?” ― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent
“It was as if she would never be whole until the secrets of the past were exposed.” ― Rachel Abbott, The Back Road
“Each time he came he would twist my defenceless body into a different pose, as if I were his very own doll” ― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent
“Today is the day after my wedding. And nothing is the way I expected it to be.” ― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent
“Within our working lives, and perhaps even amongst friends, we see deceptions played out before our eyes: people who pretend to be happy when they are aching with sadness, or to like each other when they feel nothing but contempt. Perhaps these are actions of self-preservation, driven by a will to hide our pain from a wider audience. Within a relationship, though, pretence is indeed both unreasonable and illogical. Admit to being the person you really are. Never play that deadly game of charades.” ― Rachel Abbott, The Back Road
“I would rather have been with one parent who was genuinely happy than with two who had so many axes to grind you could almost hear them being sharpened.” ― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent
“Emma wondered not for the first time how silence could vary so much in pitch and tone. This silence held a high-pitched scream at its heart.” ― Rachel Abbott, Stranger Child
“Even those we’ve loved all our lives are highly unlikely to be perfect.” ― Rachel Abbott, Sleep Tight
“When shame is your own, it’s hard enough to bear. When other people are witness to it, it becomes intolerable.” ― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent
“For some people, life is like that. They filter out the positive and focus on the negative. They make assumptions about what somebody else is thinking, and believe only in the worst possible outcome.” ― Abbott, Rachel, The Back Road
“How easy it is to blame the present on the past, and allow history to shape the future. How many of us justify our current behaviour by reference to events long gone? Is this true within your relationship? Are you allowing past mistakes to dictate your destiny? If pain has been inflicted by a loved one, you may search for reasons and explanations that simply can’t be found. You pick away at the scar that is trying to heal, and cause the blood to flow again. You seek reassurances that you may never truly believe. The scar becomes ragged and ugly to all who can see it, and you become the walking wounded, waiting to be hurt again. Accept that your history has changed you. Rejoice in your survival. Let the wounds heal to form a stronger, more resilient you, and remember that forgiveness is not something we do for other people—we do it for ourselves. So forgive yourself for being a victim. Look positively to the here and now. Put the past behind you and think of it as somewhere you once visited, and possibly didn’t like very much. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Buddha” ― Rachel Abbott, The Back Road
“Sometimes she thought of David as an ostrich, burying his head in the sand and forcing himself to believe that all would be well. It was one of the few things about him that she found frustrating. It wasn't so much optimism as an inability to face reality and a tendency to look for the easy way out. It wasn't going to work this time. There was no easy way out.” ― Rachel Abbott, Stranger Child
“what that meant. He could spend the night” ― Rachel Abbott, Sleep Tight
“One of the women was a natural bitch – all women recognise them, but men rarely do.” ― Rachel Abbott, Sleep Tight
“forgiveness is not something we do for other people—we do it for ourselves. So forgive yourself for being a victim. Look positively to the here and now. Put the past behind you and think of it as somewhere you once visited, and possibly didn’t like very much. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Buddha” ― Abbott, Rachel, The Back Road
“Well, she thought, I made a right cock of that.” ― Rachel Abbott, The Sixth Window
“How could pain that wasn’t inflicted by a physical assault hurt so much? How could emotional distress turn into this agonising emptiness?” ― Rachel Abbott, Stranger Child
