Publisher: Central Recovery Press (July 15, 2014)
Category: Non-fiction, Memoir, Substance Abuse, Codependency
ISBN: 978-1-937612-64-1
Tour Date: June/July, 2015
Available in: Print & ebook, 224 Pages

The dynamics of codependency are illuminated in this heartbreaking story of a marriage comprised by a husband’s addiction to alcohol.

Through the eyes of love clouded by denial, Fran saw the danger signs but ignored them. Her husband, Terry, was accomplished, romantic, and good-natured. A newly divorced single parent, Fran was ready for love. She recounts the joys and sorrows of their relationship, including Terry’s attempts to control his drinking, her attempts to control him, his death, and her subsequent recovery.

My Thoughts:

‘Dark Wine Waters’ is the memoir of a woman who lived with an alcoholic husband.  It explores their relationship of codependency, his eventual suicide, and her coming to terms.  It is a beautifully written, very honest account.  Mast who read the book description would think that it is all dark and depressing but that is not the case.  Like most couples, they had their ups and downs.  As the description says, they share both “joys and sorrows”.

I decided to read this book because I was married to a substance abuser for about a year. Unlike Fran Simone’s husband, Terry, he was not a good-natured guy.  We had a few joys but not many.  I felt stuck inside the relationship for the whole year we were married, until something really bad happened and I got out.  I turned my life around and went back to university.  I have become a strong independent person and my second husband and I just celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. As a social worker in mental health for many years, I had also worked with people with substance abuse issues.

This book and my personal experience is proof that there is life after codependency with a substance user. You just have to really want it.  I’m not going to lie, it is a lot of work to make a new, healthy life for yourself but you are worth it!

Readers who enjoy memoirs may enjoy this book. I think those who have had a family member who has struggled with addiction would really appreciate this candid book. 

5/5

I received the ebook version for my honest review.

About Fran Simone:

Fran Simone, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus from Marshall University in West Virginia. She is the former director of  the WV Writing Project, a statewide affiliate of the National Writing Project, University of California at Berkeley. Her doctorate is from Duke University.

Her essays have appeared in The Voice and The Quarterly of  the National Writing Project,  the Charleston Gazette, Story Circle Network journal and anthology. Her blog posts have appeared online in Hazelden/Betty Ford.  She is a regular contributor to The Addiction Blog and to the Psychology Today blog. She is a member of Story Circle Network, the National Association of Memoir Writers and  West Virginia Writers, Inc. She conducts workshops on writing and speaks on addiction and recovery.

Honors: Featured author of the month, National Memoir Association, January, 2015.

Website: www.darkwinewaters.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darkwinewaters

Listen to the Interview with Fran Simone: