My partner’s sister has published a family memoir that's unfair to him. Should we cut ties? | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

She should have been much more careful, but everyone has their own version of the ‘truth’.

Does your partner want a reconciliation? My sister-in-law wrote and published an emotionally charged “memoir” of family dislocation and trauma, in which she massaged the truth of her family’s past to portray my partner as emotionally damaged . ( In fact, he is empathetic and was beloved by those he worked with.) Theirs was a complex family story , and there were many omissions and mis truths, which she failed to factcheck with us .

She tried to de‑identify her brother, but he would be recognisable to anyone with a rudimentary ability to search the internet.

Legal action was considered, but decided against.

Who gets to tell a story in these times? Whose story is more “true ”? And should we cut off all ties or attempt reconciliation? Continue reading...