Once Upon a Nightmare is a sometimes-terrifying but ultimately hopeful ride through the real life of a Disney writer turned pastor and happily-ever-after-seeker who finds happiness, but not until after a marriage story much too dark for Disney.
I am not a memoir person. I read cyberpunk and Africanfuturism and theology and sociology but have never in my life been drawn to memoirs. Rebecca J. Craig’s debut, along with Anna Gazmarian’s Devout, has caused me to reconsider.
It’s not just the story arc that draws me in, though her life story sounds made for fiction at times (and, full disclosure, I know it’s not made-up because I knew her in seminary and have kept in touch occasionally since then).
What really grabbed me is her refusal to reduce situations and emotions to a feature-length-ready formulaic or black-and-white story.
She works through the pain of loving a narcissist, her own mental health, physical and financial challenges, and impossible decisions without either sugar-coating or adding drama. Instead, she explains them, with the help of accessible quotes from psychologists, theologians, scientists, and literature, using her own paintings, one of which provides the keystone for each chapter, as frames for the struggles and how her faith and community have helped her through them.
Also, while fully admitting the damage her marriage caused her and the risk her ex-husband put her in, she resists reducing him to a monster, recognizes that he too had complex mental health issues, and that, ultimately, he too was made in the image of the same God as her.
Don’t read this if you’re looking for a screen-friendly fairy tale neatly tied up with a ribbon. But also don’t read this looking for permission to hate people who hurt you. But if you’re ready to learn about the experience of disentangling one’s life from deeply troubled people, ready to find hope in the midst of pain, and ready to be challenged to a messy, beautiful life of faith, I recommend starting here.
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Reviews with images
Embracing Forgiveness
What I needed and found was a wonderful ending to the journey called Forgiveness...which is everybody's story. I will be returning again and again to the last chapters which contain insightful words of healing, redemption and forgiveness; eloquently expressed for every heart to grasp.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2024
What I needed and found was a wonderful ending to the journey called Forgiveness...which is everybody's story. I will be returning again and again to the last chapters which contain insightful words of healing, redemption and forgiveness; eloquently expressed for every heart to grasp.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2024
Highly recommend this book! An inside view of narcissistic abuse told with heartfelt honesty, simple yet complex truthfulness, and fairytale humor as a sidebar.
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