Melody Carlson - Crystal Lies

Praise for
Crystal Lies

Raw, real, and provocative, Crystal Lies thrusts us into a world inhabited by more people than we may realize on the surface. This account of one mothers struggle for the healing of her drug-addicted son speaks to all who have ever loved anyone else. Melody Carlson never fails to drag us out of our Christian easy chairs and right into the coals of the confusing culture in which we find ourselves. She never fails to reveal that place of compassion within each of us. Excellent.

L ISA S AMSON, author of The Church Ladies and Tiger Lillie

As an addiction specialist, I was moved by Crystal Lies. With great confidence, I can say that Melody Carlsons story will enlighten, encourage, and empower you. Read this book; walk through its pages toward healthy, God-directed relationships.

G REGORY L. J ANTZ , P H. D ., founder and executive director of The Center for Counseling & Health Resources, Inc.

An honest, doesnt-pull-any-punches look at the reality of addiction and codependency in Christian families. Told in Carlsons adept style, this novel will lead readers into the light of a powerful God, who stands firm and loves beyond all measure and who delights in meeting his children inside the worlds most impenetrable, convoluted issues. I found myself praying Carlsons prayers over my own children as I lay in bed. Read, enjoy, andmost importantpass this along to everyone you know who is struggling with addiction.

D EBORAH B EDFORD, author of If I Had You, Just Between Us and When You Believe

Crystal Lies creates a permanent image of a family in pain and the various ways they choose to sugarcoat their lives rather than face it. We are this family, whether touched by methamphetamine use, alcohol addiction, super-perfection and adultery or not. We are this family because we avoid, separate, pretend blindness, live inside fogs of drugs or denial because to face the pain alone is just too great. What Melody reveals through her crisp yet tender words is that we are not alone even when we separate ourselves. God has chosen to bring each of us closer. We are given the gift of hope and Gods love to take us through the lies, pain, and disappointment into a steadied peace. Melodys Crystal Lies is brilliant Her best.

J ANE K IRKPATRICK , award-winning author of The Tender Ties series

Melody Carlson knows addiction is an issue that affects not only addicts but their families, their friends, their associates. And she shows that when the addict is a believer, addiction affects the body of Christ. Crystal Lies is a wonderful lesson, taught the way Jesus taughtin story. I recommend it especially to those of us who have believed we were being charitable when we looked at those marginalized by addiction and thought, There but for the grace of God go I. Carlsons highly personable prose puts that viewpoint on its ear and teaches us to see it as, Here we are together, in need of Gods grace. Crystal Lies is clearly truthrevealed in fiction.

T OM M ORRISEY, author of Yucatan Deep and Turn Four

Crystal Lies pulls no punches about the emotional devastation caused by addictions, and yet it offers beautiful, accessible hope. Having been through the turmoil of addictive behavior in my own family, I wept with both the agony and the joy of what I read. Dont miss this book!

J ANELLE B URNHAM S CHNEIDER , author of From Carriage to Marriage in the Brides for a Bit anthology and A Distant Love in the Christmas Duty anthology.

Other Books by Carlson

N OVELS

Finding Alice

Armandos Treasure

Looking for Cassandra Jane

Angels in the Snow

The Gift of Christmas Present

T EEN N OVELS

Diary of a Teenage Girl series, 1-12

TrueColors series, 1-9

N ONFICTION

Lost Boys and the Moms Who Love Them

Take Time

Women Are Sisters at Heart

Letters from God

C HILDRENS B OOKS

The Estherville Miracle

When the Creepy Things Come Out

Twas the Night

Bitsys Harvest Party

To Lucas Andrew

Your strength is inspiring!
Thank you for sharing your life and experience with me.

Preface

Addiction messes with your mind. And I dont mean just the addicts mind. Unfortunately, an addicts life affects everyone around him, mostly the ones who really love him. As the mother of a son who has gone through, has been treated for, and is recovering from addiction, I understand from a closeup perspective how devastating addiction can be. When I wrote the first draft of Crystal Lies, I tossed out the chronological time line, and like a Ping-Pong ball, I jumped back and forth between seasons and eventsone chapter was summer, the next was winter. I did this purposely to show how life doesnt travel in a neat, smooth line for the family of an addict. Sometimes you go down the same road over and over, and other times you feel as if youre going in circles. And too often you wind up on a dead-end street.

Of course, my wise editor quickly realized that this style of writing, although it might artistically portray the frustration and confusion of a codependent parent, would probably just bewilder the reader. And so I straightened it out. Well, mostly. I still allow the story to hop around in a couple of places, but I hope and pray that youll bear with me and that youll try to get inside the skin of another persona person whose life has been turned upside down and inside out by drug addiction, codependency, and recovery.

Acknowledgments

I want to thank all of my publishing friends at WaterBrook Press. You guys are such pros! I really appreciate the quality of attention that each of you gives, and I always know Im in good hands through every step of the process. Thanks so much!

Late fall

I havent seen my son in nearly a week now. Always a bad sign. But Im trying not to think about that at the moment. Unfortunately, thats a bit like trying not to think about purple elephantsas soon as you tell yourself not to, its all you can imagine. The mind is funny that way.

I saw a public-service ad on TV this morning. Parents, the antidrug, is the theme, and it shows a tough-love mom grounding her teenage son after she discovers him smoking pot. This woman is quite impressive, solid as a rock, and almost believable. But what the ad fails to show is what happens later. What does she do when her son totally ignores his grounding and sneaks out after everyones asleep? What then?

Really, Id like to know what in life prepares a parent for something as invasive as drugs? Where is the How to Prevent Your Son from Becoming an Addict handbook when you need it? Or is this simply the kind of thing you must sort out after the fact? Is this just one of those painful lessons that just goes on and on?

And some days, like today, I dont even have the energy to consider these questions. All I can do is put one foot in front of the other and try to remember how to breathe. I honestly dont know where Ill go from here. Maybe I dont even care. Or maybe it makes no difference.