Writing about sensitive issues

In the middle of a live radio interview on WRJN, Wisconsin, about my book, The Devil to Pay, the interviewer, Glenn Klein, said, “I was sexually assaulted as a child. What would you do to help the victim get over blaming himself and how would you deal with the damage done to him?”

The very personal nature of the confession threw me. I had been told I was to be interviewed about why I wrote the book and about the link between my book and the Oscar award wining Best Film, Spotlight. I could have anticipated the questions had I been asked to talk about the crime and its effects.

Afterwards, I thought up all the insightful answers I could have given. I remembered the list of agencies and support groups for victims I might have recited. I recalled individuals who had made similar confessions to me, but not in the public forum of a live radio interview. It brought home to me the responsibility writers carry when we write about topics that are very personal or deal with destructive experiences that ruin lives.

Readers tell me they laughed out loud when they read The Devil to Pay. They also say they cried or clenched their fists in anger at the injustices done to the innocent in the book. I want the readers to feel each of those emotions because their reactions lead them to think about the issues. To provoke reflection, without moralising or preaching, is a mighty outcome to aim for.

How would you have answered the questions? Keep in mind that abusers are skilled manipulators. They take the time to build the victim’s reluctance to reveal what is happening. Transcripts of enquiries and reports spell out the variety of ways they do this. Giving the young people and the vulnerable the confidence and the opportunities to tell the truth could be one of their defences against the cunning of the abusers.

How to help the victims get over the damage done is a question for the experts. One of the requests most frequently expressed by victims is be allowed to tell their story. Is it too much to ask that we should start their healing by listening to what they have to say?

In The Devil to Pay, Tomas, the narrator, writes about the abuse, “People did it. People we knew. Which is why we realised only later the seriousness of what had snaked into our lives”. Many institutions have developed a mind-set that accepts ‘it could happen here, done by people we know’. That creates vigilance and sets up practical measures to guard the young and the vulnerable. The care and protection is further strengthened when it is known that should abuse occur, the interests of the victim will trump all considerations about the good name of the institution. Go and see the film Spotlight if you want a graphic illustration of what happens when the good name of an organisation is paramount.

Towards the end of my interview on WRJN, Glenn Klein said there were thousands of listeners hearing our words in different countries. Among them would be many who had been abused and had kept silent about their suffering. He encouraged them to take the first step to healing and find someone to tell about their experiences. The interview was worthwhile if even one of them takes his advice.