❝A powerful story of a father-daughter relationship❞
What Readers Say
＂Dear Vig, Congrats on your book. Thank you so much for writing it and having it published. I am deeply moved by your work. […] I cried so much when I read the ‘Whore’ chapter. […] Your book opened my eyes and left me full of emotions. Beautiful writing. Can’t wait to read your next one. I will definitely recommend it to my friends and colleagues at school. What a read!”
❝ I’ve been on the plane finishing your book for the last 3 hours. Couldn’t put it down. I have a huge lump in my throat and I’ve been blinking back the tears as I read the last quarter of the book. I loved it! ❞
Bonnie Armstrong, Canada
❝… amazing! So beautiful, so honest, and so raw. At times the pain chimes through the pages. Tears, Laughter, Delight and so much more. I love Speak #TRUTH Lies. What a Read! Fantastic! ❞
Cliona in Athens
❝ I am deeply moved by your work. Your book opened my eyes and left me full of emotions. Beautiful writing. Can’t wait to read your next one. I will definitely recommend it to my friends and colleagues. What a read! ❞
Karin in Austria
A Memoir of Healing from Family Estrangement
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
What does grief look like when an estranged parent dies without saying a last farewell?
In Speak #Truth Lies, Vig Gleeson confronts the complex emotions surrounding her estranged father’s passing. After fifteen years of separation, Vig and her young daughter Ruby arrive on Atløy Island to lay her father to rest.
Set against the natural beauty of coastal Norway, the memoir paints a vivid portrait of a woman’s journey of self-discovery, from fear of abandonment to accepting her own truth.
Will she find healing in the wake of this revelation, and can she reconcile with her father in his absence?
“Speak Truth Lies” is a compelling exploration of a woman’s emotional journey, the enduring impact of estrangement on personal identity and pursuing closure. Gleeson’s candid narrative invites the reader to witness the profound transformation that emerges from confronting a fractured past and the truth of an absent father figure.
Chapter 1
With raw vulnerability, Vig unearths a tapestry of emotions—guilt, shame, regret, heartache, and anger—as she questions her right to grieve.
Navigating the logistics of the funeral and unearthing her father’s dire financial affairs, Vig delves into the roots of her apprehensions. When her father’s journals and correspondences reveal, not only his enigmatic character but a hidden narrative about her own life, memories of childhood trauma prompt Vig to confront the impact of fear on her upbringing.
ABOUT ME & WRITING
I’m a 50-something Irish-Norwegian writer and photographer who’s lived most my life abroad. At twenty-four I bought a one-way ticket to Australia, never imagining the profound impact it would have on my life. There decades later, together with my husband and daughter, I’ve travelled and lived in Ireland, England, Thailand, Egypt, Greece, and now, back home in Castleconnell. I like moving around and feel settled when I know my life will continue to changes. It’s exciting to think about how I can impact the changes and … as I did in 1991, change the trajectory of my future. I’m totally fascinated about this stuff!
I lived a long time ‘unconscious’ before I developed the curiosity and passion for understanding my human behaviours & emotions. It was the late 90s, early 00s. I was in my 30s and busy climbing the London .com career leader. Issues were holding me back and my search for a solution brought me books and cassette tape courses. Isn’t it funny how ‘the teacher appears when the student is read’?. When I learned about how our past impacts our future, I wanted to write everything I remember from my past. Journaling has been part of the air I breathe since I learned to write, but when I discovered that, if I reframe my narrative story, I can also transform my future, it was a game changer. Read more about my memoir and life journey here.
What resulted in my memoir, Speak #TRUTH Lies, was 7 1/2 years of practising creative writing. The first years was al about learning the craft. After my father died, it became like therapy on the page. Going deep with a story that had haunted me and held me back from daring to be myself turned into a transformative approach to finding the truth in my story. Should you happen to pick up a copy on Kindle or Paperback, I would love to hear your thoughts and your story. Send me a message 🌻 Find out more about what I’m up to these days, here.
