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Seeking Validation and Forgiveness When There’s No Remorse
Alice shares her thoughts about paving a way forward to find peace when the person who caused harm shows no remorse. I haven’t seen my brother in 30 years. The last time I saw him, I wrote about in Resolve, in the chapter The Lioness Appears. No one in my family ever talked about that day, not until years later when I would respond to a comment with, “That was because of the abuse, remember. I told you that.” The only topic they seemed willing to discuss was how to “get around Alice not wanting to have Christmas with the family.” Years later, I learned that my brother had told…
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Step Back From the Cauldron
I loved my early twenties, the years of working in a city office and building a life with my husband that felt entirely ours. My days were full. I poured my mind into getting work done for my lawyer boss, then as if flicking a switch, I’d head home into a life that felt easy and chosen. Bands on weekends. Long walks through national parks. Dinner somewhere simple. It was a good rhythm, and I didn’t notice until much later how little time I spent with my family of origin. That was deliberate, although I couldn’t see it then. I had set myself free. Maybe it was also because we…
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Writing Under a Pen Name: A Journey of Courage, Healing and Compromise
When I first decided to write Resolve, I planned to publish it under my real name. It felt natural, even empowering, to own my story fully. But as the drafts evolved and I moved closer to publication, the reality of writing about sibling sexual abuse (SSA) became clear. For legal reasons—defamation risks, protecting the privacy of my extended family, and my own peace of mind—I chose to write under a pen name. Alice Perle was born out of necessity, but she also became a symbol of courage. Alice represents the strength it takes to walk through the dark tunnels of memory, the resolve to speak the unspeakable, and the compassion…
