Born in the Midwest, Rebecca Leo has lived on the east and west coasts, as well as in Canada, Australia, Jamaica and the Virgin Islands. She taught English in four different countries and did graduate study at Boston University where she worked for many years while her three children completed school in Cambridge and all graduated from B.U. Then she taught writing at several colleges in the Boston area until moving to Cape Cod with her husband. They now reside in California. Her memoir-based novel, The Flaws That Bind, was published by Big Table Publishing in 2014. It is about a woman’s decade-long struggle in an abusive relationship while living in Australia and Jamaica. She is now writing a sequel.
When an idealistic college girl from Iowa meets an exciting Jamaican inventor with plans to save the world, she drops everything to begin a new life with him. What she doesn’t expect – and what no woman expects – is that her husband turns out to be a brutal, abusive cheater who threatens to kill her or their children if she tries to escape. Written by a survivor of domestic violence, The Flaws That Bind takes readers inside the lonely terror and psychological trauma that battered women and children endure when there seems to be no safe way out.
“Rebecca Leo’s memoir-based novel The Flaws That Bind is a page-turner about a woman’s struggles through an abusive relationship while living in Jamaica and Australia. It deals realistically with the issues of abuse and enablement, without becoming overly sentimental. The setting itself is a character in the book, going beyond the well-written descriptions of tropical climes to evince a deeper understanding of the cultures and the effects of crime and poverty on individuals and families. This is a worthwhile read.” — Lori Desrosiers, The Philosopher’s Daughter
“In The Flaws that Bind, Rebecca Leo leads us to new levels of understanding families, relationships, cultures and even political eras with skill, poignancy and power. Highly recommended!” — Alesa Lightbourne, PhD, Dean, S P Jain School of Global Management
You can learn more about Rebecca Leo and The Flaws That Bind on Rebecca’s website.
Rebecca’s Novel, The Flaws That Bind, will be awarded to the Second Place Winner in our “Our Courage” Nonfiction Writing Contest.