I'm the One Who Got Away - She Writes Press

As featured in the New York Times “Modern Love” column * a Redbook Magazine must-read * Rumpus, Hello Giggles, Bustle, and Southern Living magazine Fall book pick

Fugitives from a man as alluring as he is violent, Andrea Jarrell and her mother develop a powerful, unusual bond. Once grown, Jarrell thinks she’s put that chapter of her life behind her—until a woman she knows is murdered, and she suddenly sees that it’s her mother’s choices she’s been trying to escape all along. Without preaching or prescribing, I’m the One Who Got Away is a life-affirming story of having the courage to become both safe enough and vulnerable enough to love and be loved.

Author: Andrea Jarrell

Publication Date: September 5, 2017

Description

2018 Readers’ Favorites Book Awards Honorable Mention in Non-Fiction—Memoir
2018 Foreword Indies Finalist in Adult Nonfiction—Family & Relationships
2018 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in Non-Fiction
2018 International Book Awards Finalist in Non-Fiction Narrative
Kirkus Review Best Indie Books of 2017 selection
2017 INDIES Book of the Year Finalist

“Though the settings of Jarrell’s stories range from Camden, Maine, to Italy and Los Angeles, the author’s small-town Americana tone is reminiscent of Joyce Carol Oates. The work’s lasting message is that love, like Jarrell’s prose, is both painful and beautiful. A stunning series of recollections with a feminist slant.”
―Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW

“A courageous, daring and unforgettable memoir about balancing the feeling of safety with seeking love, I’m the One Who Got Away is one of 2017’s most sensational memoirs.”
―Redbook Magazine

“Jarrell writes powerfully about coming of age in the shadow of domestic violence and her growth as a spouse, parent, and daughter. How she successfully navigated her responsibility to her children as well as her desire to know her father may be of interest to readers who wish to explore boundary-setting in their own families.”
―Library Journal

“Andrea Jarrell’s beautiful memoir―her adventurous yet protective single mother; insinuating father/stranger; friends and encounters, lovers and spouse, templates of what she must move beyond, accept, or embrace to become bravely herself―is as riveting as a mystery and as filling as a feast.”
―William O’Sullivan, Washingtonian magazine

“This slender book is filled with vivid flashbacks, poignant memories, and thoughtful moments. Jarrell does a commendable job in this story of resilience and survival of capturing her longing for a normal life.”
―Booklist Reviews

About the Author

Andrea Jarrell has written about relationships, recovery, parenting, self-esteem, yoga, travel, and education for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, The Huffington Post, and many literary and popular magazines and websites. An LA girl who grew up traveling the world thanks to her determined mother, she now lives with her family in suburban Washington, DC.