4 out of 4 stars
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A heartrending memoir that brings to light the terminal effects of child sexual abuse. In Love is the Answer, God is the Cure, Aimee Cabo Nikolov suffers under the hands of her step-father. When she turns to her mother the blame shifts to Nikolov. She lives feeling guilty of exposing her pain and the actions of her perpetrator to the public and jeopardizing her family.
This begins a cycle of destruction. Multiple times she suffers sexual abuse from other rapists. In a bid to escape the horrors she experiences at home, she moves in with Brent, a nice-looking young man who seems to have everything together. The abuse turns physical and she runs from him to protect her unborn baby. By this time, the horrendous effects of the physical and sexual abuse have caught up with her and the only way she can numb the pain is through drugs. Still, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
The memoir is well-written, providing glances, scenes and painful moments of the author’s life through years of custody battles, sexual and physical abuse, addiction and loss. I was able to feel Nikolov’s determination to survive it all sometimes barely pulling through. When her daughter, Danielle fights for her life in hospital, it is Nikolov’s faith and the love of her husband, Bobby, which pull her through.
In between the fast-paced account of the author’s life, Nikolov exposes the atmosphere that allows child molesters like her step-father to escape their charges, the unconcerned parent, the exposure to potential child molesters, the absence of someone to approach or freely talk to, the continuous blame game where the child is made to feel “guilty” as if they have done something wrong. She brings to light the devastating impact of a heinous crime that many choose to ignore and look away from. It is frustrating that even after she got irrefutable proof of Andres’ actions, he did not suffer the full measure of his crimes.
The account was truly inspirational to me and I believe that it will help victims who have suffered similar circumstances in their lives. They will be able to relate to Nikolov’s experiences and gain strength and insight from them. Her relentless faith in God and her love for her daughter are heart-warming amidst the pain and fight for survival.
Love is the Answer, God is the Cure by Aimee Cabo Nikolov is an affecting memoir of one woman’s journey to find her place in a cruel world. Any reader interested in memoirs will find her story deeply impacting while victims who have battled the effects of child sexual abuse will find the book more than inspirational. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.
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Love is the Answer, God is the Cure
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