With mothers it’s a relationship fraught with obligation and expectation, and there’s the need for approval that we carry from childhood,” says Chand. What’s important is keeping the conversation going – and if you see where she’s coming from, she can hopefully see your point of view as well. I have god parents, my aunt and uncle and even though I have many other aunt's and uncle's, I have a special love and bond with this aunt and uncle just because they are my god parents (does that make sense?

LOVE ALWAYS, MOM: A Hopeful Documentary Full Of Life LOVE ALWAYS, MOM: A Hopeful Documentary Full Of Life

Growing up in what became known as the “house of horrors” and the abuse and suffering the children were subjected to at the hands of their parents. But in Love as Always, Mum xxx, we visit Mae's childhood and the horrors that she went through as a child and growing in to a young adult, the connections she held with her siblings and the fear and sadness that she felt through it all. His assistance with the book mean that while Mae’s own words shine through the structure and overall feel is that this is a well-written and thought out book.This book covers the whole story, the history of the Mum and Dad (Rose and Fred), the grandparents, the uncle, their childhoods to adulthood, to her own childhood growing up under unbelievable mental and physical torture.

Mum Love Always - Etsy UK Mum Love Always - Etsy UK

To still have compassion and kind heartedness after everything she has been through and seen is incredibly humbling. How do you become a mother yourself when you're haunted by the knowledge that your own mother was a monster?

Not only did I audibly gasp at this book, but I found myself having to put it down at times before continuing long-reading sessions. And I said: ‘Do you think it’s like when you were young and women went around in hats and with outfits pinched in at the waist, and when wearing clogs brought shame on the house? There were points where I wanted to throw the book in frustration, seeing what Mae could not at the time, but this also brought the raw authenticity of the book into view. I mean, I knew the Wests were sick, but what I had read or learned about before this only scratched the surface of how evil and vile these two were. It goes to show that your parents can fuck you up but blood ties are hard to sever, however badly you’ve been treated.

Love as Always, Mum xxx by Mae West | Hachette UK

Mae, the eldest surviving daughter of Rose and Fred West was involved in the project and he persuaded her to tell the world what it was really like growing up, and what the last twenty plus years have been like being the daughter of probably the most notorious of all female serial killers. IT doesn't matter how old you are, you know about the crimes that the West's committed together, whether or not there was hardly any evidence towards Rose, she was still a big part of the abuse and horrors which occurred in their home. Mae says that Stephen turned purple before losing consciousness and that she thought her mother had killed him. Anybody who knows me well knows that I can never resist watching the latest true crime documentary on TV or resist the temptation of scouring over a true crime article. I find it really hard to rate this book, as it's not a work of fiction, this is about someone's life (and the lives and deaths of others).Because of these peeks into what could be seen as a 'normal' childhood on some days, that I was able to really understand Mae's struggle to break the bound from her mother, even after her conviction. We all have our own story we are all fighting our own battles and I have learnt that we don't have to do it on our own. Then I realised she was a person just like me, with faults and failings and issues she struggled with. Now Gavin's Auntie Alicia may not be blood related but let me tell you that does not matter one bit! This is a memoir from someone who trusted and most significantly, loved these two people who, to the majority of people, will never seem deserving of it.