L.M. Walker Reviews

Added February 9, 2006

Lost in the Void

Author: L.M. Walker
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Available At: www.authorhouse.com
Publishing Date: Available Now
Genre: Nonfiction: Autobiography/Biography
Format: Trade Paperback or Ebook Download
Price: $13.50 paperback, $4.95 ebook
ISBN: 1-4208-5588-3 paperback, 1-4208-5709-6 ebook
Reviewer: Kathy Martin
Rating: 7 Gargoyles

This is a true story.

Lana is a young U.S. citizen working in Europe and the divorced mother of twin girls. In an effort to stay in Europe, she accepts the hospitality of her former boss (Tom) to live in England. When she gets there, she finds that the situation is not as it was originally presented to her. She was made to believe she would be living on her own, instead she is in the same house with Tom, and he does nothing to help with taking care of the girls or the house.

After a time, Lana's and the girls' visas are going to expire, and Tom talks Lana into marrying him so that she can stay in England.

When the girls are about 2 years old, their behavior and habits start to change. After a while, Lana comes to find out that Tom has been sexually abusing the girls.

Fighting a never-ending battle with the English social service and judicial systems - which discriminates against Americans, Lana's girls are eventually taken away from her and given to Tom. Lana returned to the U.S., but still fights to see her daughters and get custody of them, even though Tom has now taken the girls to Australia.

This was a hard book to read. First, I felt anger at not only the abuse and terror the two girls had to suffer, but the fact that a mother in dire need to help her daughters could not. Additionally, it was a bit hard to read as the author wrote it in journal style. So from time to time while the writing does not lose its intensity, it does feel a bit bumpy. I should note though that this style only helps to accentuate all the emotions and frustrations that Ms. Walker had to endure in her battle to protect her girls.

I believe any U.S. woman attending a university overseas should be encouraged to read this book. They need to be made aware of what could happen if they choose to live and raise a family outside the U.S. The U.S. may be a strong country economically and militarily, but there are situations where its citizenship is not worth the paper a passport is printed on.

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