Telling stories is an essential part of being human. Marketing those stories keeps booksellers in business so it’s an interesting twist to find that major chains intend to boycott Breaking Silence: The Kahui Case, Macsyna King’s story about the death of her twins, a tragedy that has horrified New Zealanders.
“There’s no way I can understand in detail the experiences of the main characters in this tragic case,” says Sande Ramage. “Neither do I have a deep appreciation of the facts because I haven’t sat through the evidence at trial. My information is based on media reporting, big on sensational headlines and often short on depth.
“What I do understand though, along with most of humanity, are feelings of guilt for things I wish I hadn’t done. I can also understand shame, that internalized self-loathing when we believe, according to researcher Brene Brown, that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.”