Foreword
In this age of anxiety and chaos, psychologists all over the world have agreed that it becomes daily more necessary for people to come to grips with the psychological problems that face them, for it would seem that the survival of the human race is now dependent on each of us coming to know ourselves as fully as possible so that we can meet the pressing demands of modern life in a healthy and mature way.
One important key to this self-knowledge often lies in a keen understanding of the events of childhood which shape the future personality, and many times these early incidents create enormous mental blocks and fears which prevent a man or woman from fully enjoying life. The story that follows vividly illustrates this theme with breath-taking clarity and power.
Debbie Lyons is a young woman of nineteen, whom we meet at a crucial stage of her life. She is gripped by a deep seated sexual fear originating from a traumatic incident in early childhood, and which now, after a month of marriage to Tom, her handsome, construction worker husband, hangs over her life like an ominous cloud, preventing her from fully tasting the pleasures of marriage. Barely equipped to deal adequately with a cold and often hostile world, Debbie rashly decides to seek a divorce from her husband in a desperate effort to escape her pressing difficulties, and unwittingly, out of her blind innocence, is drawn into a world of shameless perversion which forces her to confront her fears directly.
The story of Debbie Lyons, strange and often nightmarish, is one which could happen to many of us in these times, and it is the hope of the publishers that by bringing this story to the public, those with similar difficulties will recognize the need for urgent self-evaluation before they are forced to confront a fate as brutal and barbaric as that which faces the young wife in our story.
The authoress, Faye Jackson, one of our most prolific and imaginative writers, has taken special pains to present this often shocking material to the reader in a concise, fast-moving style, without glossing over the naked truth. We are grateful to her for preparing this timely document so well, and hope that you, the readers, share our enthusiasm for this spellbinding narrative.
Our tale takes us swiftly from the urban clutter of Seattle, Washington, to the steamy reality of Reno, Nevada, the divorce capital of the world. You will meet a strange assortment of characters that suddenly become part of Debbie Lyon's search for an answer to her problems, characters that cover a colorful cross section of life in these two vastly different cities.
We trust the reader will keep an open mind and heart to the events that unfold on the following pages, and take heed of the urgent social message that is so eloquently and profoundly delineated in this book. Because of its explicit language and graphic imagery, however, we do not recommend this book to those who are not mature adults.
-The Publishers