A Narrow Doorway: Women's Stories of Escape from Abuse

Andrea Levan is an associate professor and co-ordinator of the Women’s
Studies Program, Thorneloe College, Laurentian University.

Combining real-life stories with basic information, this book is
designed to answer the questions of those who are beginning to think
about the issue of wife abuse for the first time. The book reviews seven
basic types of abuse and examines the common question of why any woman
would stay in an abusive relationship. The stories feature such themes
as substance abuse, repeat victimization, isolation, and the effect of
abuse on children.

Fern Martin, a counselor at Interval House in Lanark County near
Ottawa, interviewed the women who are featured over a number of years.
Each story includes one or more subsequent interviews to show how these
women have emerged from the trauma and survived. Martin’s book also
describes life at Interval House, which was established by grassroots
activists and is driven by a common commitment to feminist ideals of
empowerment.