In His Sights: One Woman's Stalking Nightmare

One of my clients recommended this book to me, stating that it is similar to what she is going through. Many therapists dismiss claims made by stalking victims, thinking that what they are reporting is not accurate. Kate Brennan provides details on her stalker, who, with his unlimited resources, makes her life miserable and fills her with fear. This book shows the desperation of stalkers and the extreme measures they will go to. Read it and believe it. My client is going through similar experiences. This book is also an excellent choice for men and women who have concerns or doubts about their own partners (yes, men get stalked too).

I am surprised by the anger this book generated in a recent review. I, too, read the book. It was clear the experience was fully documented as accurate. Although documenting subtle and mind-playing games must be difficult, it was apparent that the authorities saw it as real and recognized the potential for great danger and harm. I applaud the effort and courage this author extended to validate her own experience and the experiences of others who feel helpless and victimized.

I can only imagine all that the author was not able to include in her account of her relationship with the ex boyfriend. I am thankful to her for writing her story. I enjoyed the authors "voice" and her ability to give back ground information while keeping pace with the story. Finaly, I understand minimalizim and the color beige with splashes of colors. She had me laughing out loud when she described her decorating scheme since I do the same exact thing. She speaks for many. Thank you Kate.

Kate Brennan's, "In His Sights" is a terrifying account of her experience of being stalked by a man purporting to love her. Kate's skills as a writer bring her history to life. Kate's use of language, visual imagery and succinct style meant that I struggled to put the book down. At times, the biography chilled me to the bone, at others, her obvious strength and determination to stay sane had me cheering her on. Kate failed to recognize that she was being stalked for almost two years. As she described dismissing minor and major harassment, I felt like screaming at her to call the police. If this book helps one woman recognize her danger and to ask for help, then Kate's effort will have been worth it. Thank-you Kate for sharing your story, stay sane and stay safe.

"In His Sights" is a chronicle of one woman's experiences with the man who would become her stalker. She writes under an assumed name and does not give many details about her life because her stalker is still living and occasionally still tries to go after her. This is a book written with a lot of fear--a lot of well-deserved fear--and contains a lot of valuable insights about the human condition, insights earned through days and weeks and years of sweating and hoping. It is extremely well-written--the woman is a writer under her real name and it shows--the memoir, for the most part, is gripping and contains a very readable balance of the different aspects of her life with her stalker. I do have a complaint, though, and it stems from the first part of the book--the part chronicling the relationship before the stalking. Frankly, I don't think the author's rendering is completely honest--at least emotionally. I think she imbibes too much of what she learned afterwards into the story and I wished she had talked more about what she felt at the time. During the first part, she just seemed too naive. I guess this is part of the point, and she does reconcile this a bit during the second part, but I think she could have admitted that she didn't see some of the dangers. The impression the first part gives is that she saw the dangers, recognized them and then ignored them. I also think the way she ascribes everything in her relationships to her familial life is overly simplistic and the result of too much therapy. That all being said, this book is outstanding. Once the second part begins, the rest of it is all worthwhile. It's an important and interesting journey for anyone to learn from and it is so easy to read.