When Deborah Thomson met Wayne, she was a shy, introverted 24-year-old student. He was a loud charismatic young man. His temper was an issue but one she hoped they could work on. Four years later, the married couple now ran a business together, and their first child was born. Yet, any dreams of peaceful family life were quickly crushed by Wayne's increasingly violent and controlling behaviour. Life turned into a cycle of hope, fear and pain, and her marriage into a prison from which there was no escaping. It lasted 17 years. Based on the journals the author kept throughout the ordeal, Whose Life Is It Anyway is a chilling memoir of her agonising years living and working with her abuser. A powerful, frightening story, highlighting a world I do not understand, fortunately a world the author has escaped from. - Ian Waller, Burnie, Tasmania
