On the Edge of Shattered

A Mother's Experience of Discovering Freedom Through Sobriety

By: Kimberly Kearns

Narrated by: Candace Fitzgerald

Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

The true story of a wife and mother's descent into alcohol addiction. A harrowing and sometimes heartbreaking chronicle of habitual blackouts and unremembered nights, and her triumphant emergence into the light of recovery.

Before she stopped drinking for good, Kim was lying to herself and everyone she knew about her daily habit-sneaking morning sips of vodka behind her husband's back, emptying bottles of wine, hiding the evidence from her family, and convincing herself that nothing was wrong and everything was under control. Until she realized that it wasn't, and that her dishonesty could cost her everything she loved.

What would happen to her marriage if things continued in this way? And how could she be a mother to her young children if she remained trapped in this cycle of abuse?

Deciding she had to make a change, Kim threw herself into a new life of sobriety seven months into the Covid-19 pandemic. But only after severing the chains of bondage did she realize how much work there was still to do. Opening the doors to buried memories and past traumas was only the beginning. Throughout her journey to sobriety, Kim would come to terms with the secrets and lies told by her parents and loved ones, allowing her a clarity and freedom she never before thought possible.

©2022 Kimberly Kearns (P)2022 Kimberly Kearns

From shattered to recovery

We may not all have the same story, but the feelings that lead us to the end of our drinking, the all too familiar question of “what happened last night,” the inability to live life on life’s terms…and the fragility and wonder of early recovery…it’s all here in Kim’s wonderful book. An easy listen that anyone in or not yet in recovery can relate to!

More about privilege than alcoholosm

I tried to sympathize with this author but she never hit the mark…her message was lost in her desire to opine on her wealth and privilege. Narration was awful.

vapid, melodramatic

Couldn't finish it as a whole, or almost any chapter. The narration sounds like a Valley Girl robot. I quibbled over whether to review the content; everyone is entitled a judgement-free sober journey, but so many privilege mentions (the country club, my father's boat, my dress from the gala) in the absence of any relevance to the story/ thematic ties seem self indulgent. Anti-climactic moments that promise to explain underlying trauma often feature happy endings (I ended up loving to ski) or trite lessons (my mom told us to clean up the bathroom we trashed). And whomever the best friend, Karen, is, must feel thrown under the bus as if every experiment in rule breaking was her fault. There is even mention of needing a mother's handbook for how to sober up, and yet, more is said about staging the perfect family photo shoot than what actual day to day recovery requires. Wanted to learn about family patterns from this, but the book barely skimmed the surface.

Nope

I need a refund. This was horrible! The narrator was so bad. Waste of time.