Overview

The disappearance of Lyn Dawson captured the world's attention. But she was far more than just the teacher's wife. Now, in this brave, emotionally powerful memoir, Lyn's daughter reclaims their story. Imagine living with the knowledge that your father had murdered your mother and lied to you your whole life, telling you she left because she didn't love you anymore. How could a father do this to his children? How could a husband do this to a woman he at one time loved? When she was four years old, Shanelle Dawson's mother, Lynette, disappeared. On 8 January 1982, the woman who had been a loving, constant presence vanished without a trace. Four year old's might not be able to articulate questions or understand a lot, but the ache of absence is very real. Year after year that ache persisted. Shanelle's father, Chris Dawson, claimed that his wife just needed to get away. This is what he told Lyn's parents and siblings. This is what he told his daughters. But Lyn never returned home. Her side of the bed was immediately filled by Shanelle's teenage babysitter, a former student of her father's. After thirty-six years of her father's lies, a podcast called The Teacher's Pet investigated her mother's case. Sordid details about the father she loved became public. Whispers that he had murdered Lynette grew louder. The police refocused on the cold case. Then, Chris Dawson faced court. Forty years after she went missing, he was sentenced to twenty-four years in prison for the murder of Lynette. Now, in this brave, emotionally powerful memoir, Shanelle reclaims her mother's story and finds a channel for her own voice. It is an unforgettable insight into the ripples of trauma and loss that family violence brings and shows how Shanelle found the strength to confront her father and can now create a new life after unimaginable deception. This is Shanelle's story.

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Shanelle Dawson lives in northern New South Wales, Australia, with her beloved wild-spirited daughter, Kialah. She has travelled extensively and lived in far too many places, though she's trying to rein in the adventure-seeker to grow more solid roots and foundations. Childcare has been a wonderful job throughout her life, among many other things, but she's intrigued to see how this next new chapter unfolds as she endeavours to transmute life's poison into good medicine for those in similar circumstances to her Mother. Just as her Mother, and her Mother's Mother before her, loved and delighted in swimming, so do Shanelle and Kialah. Dancing, singing to the Earth, meditation and good chocolate are the best of friends to navigate through this crazy and beautiful world. Shanelle has explored many healing modalities in her quest to come to peace with the tragic past and reunite with a sense of belonging in this world.

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