Wow! Our first review on Amazon—5 flipping STARS!
Eye-opening (reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2021)
“Love is something we do.” “Change creates growth.” These are my two favorite kernels of wisdom from Beyond Betrayal, an eye-opening memoir that imparts precious knowledge about love, long-term relationships, infidelity, and trauma.* The book begins with Noni’s journey from teenage love to the realization that she hasn’t been honest with herself or been living an authentic life. She ends a nine-year relationship and soon thereafter befriends Dave. Noni and Dave’s friendship quickly develops into a romance, and the rest of the memoir chronicles all of the ups and downs of their relationship and the lessons they’ve learned and/or are still learning.
I’m grateful to Noni and Dave for sharing their story so that readers like myself might learn from their struggles. While it might seem obvious that authenticity and honesty are integral to meaningful relationships, their story demonstrates exactly what that means. They don’t have all the answers, but their book is a must-read for one simple reason: it’s guaranteed to make readers think about and reflect on things that matter. The book prompted me to contemplate free will, the importance of coping skills, and the balance between trying to fix an unhealthy relationship and breaking ties.
As an atheist, my least favorite part of Beyond Betrayal was the religious aspect. I didn’t always agree with everything Noni and Dave had to say in that regard, but in truth, their wisdom is applicable to everyone. Though sometimes learned or phrased through religion, their message is ultimately based on love, authenticity, and honesty above all else. I often found that substituting “love” or “self-love” in place of “God” or “my Lord” gave me a way to better grasp their message. In the same way that More Than Two is incredibly valuable for polyamorous and monogamous people alike, Beyond Betrayal is worth reading no matter your religion or lack thereof.