Review: Through the Glass

Through the Glass by Shannon Moroney

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 343
Published: October 11, 2011
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Genre: Non-Fiction, Crime & Punishment

My Rating: 3.5/5

Summary (from chapters.ca):

An impassioned, harrowing and ultimately hopeful story of one woman' pursuit of justice, forgiveness and healing.

When Shannon Moroney married in October of 2005, she had no idea that her happy life as a newlywed was about to come crashing down around her. One month after her wedding, a police officer arrived at her door to tell her that her husband, Jason, had been arrested and charged in the brutal assault and kidnapping of two women. In the aftermath of these crimes, Shannon dealt with a heavy burden of grief, the stress and publicity of a major criminal investigation, and the painful stigma of guilt-by-association, all while attempting to understand what had made Jason turn to such violence.

In this intimate and gripping journey into prisons, courtrooms and the human heart, Shannon reveals the far-reaching impact of Jason's crimes, the agonizing choices faced by the loved ones of offenders and the implicit dangers of a correctional system and a society that prioritizes punishment over rehabilitation, and victimhood over recovery.

Review:

**NOTE: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher. However, no compensations were made and this review reflects my honest thoughts and feelings.**

I had no idea, when I began reading this, that the people of this story would live within driving distance of my house. My husband has clients who live in Peterborough and the surrounding areas, it was so surreal.

Having moved away from Ontario during the years that this took place, I had no idea what it was about. In speaking to my family - who were here at the time - they had all heard of it. To me, it was just like the Paul Bernardo case (reference in Through the Glass) of the early 1990's... it hit home and made something that would normally be on the television become real.

Shannon Moroney is a brave woman. To take a painful, life-changing experience and put it on display for everyone to see could not have been an easy decision. However, the people that will be helped - those innocent victims of crime... maybe not the true victims, but the family members - will forever be grateful that she took this brave step in telling her story.

While not being a fan of non-fiction, I found that this story really did read as a fictional novel. The storyline flowed and the details were often to unbelieveable to be true. There were parts that went on in too much detail about the Canadian justice system, but I felt that those details were important to the story and that they could shed light on a broken system in need of some attention.

Overall, I commend Shannon for her strength, her love and most of all, her courage. This was a book that I am glad I chose to read and feel that anyone, especially a Canadian, would enjoy this story.