In the late 1960’s and ’70’s, there were a series of unsolved murders in London Ontario and the surrounding area. I moved to London in the mid-1970’s and I really don’t remember being aware of any of these cases at the time. I do recall, with a shiver, how often I hitch-hiked all over the city to save bus fare. 

I attended a book launch last week because the author is a friend of mine. I was fully in support of her publishing a book, but to be honest, I only had a mild interest in her chosen topic. After hearing her story of why she felt compelled to write the book and listening to survivors impacted by the “forest city murders”, I’m now fully engaged and looking forward to a great read. 

Barb Dorrington is the author of The Trauma Monster. The first victim, in 1968, had been a childhood friend of hers. She never really got over the shock of what happened to him. He was, by all accounts a sweet kid who got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was her first realization that her world was not safe. Crimes like these were not talked about in the newspapers with the same degree of detail that would be published today. Families, friends and neighbours discussed what happened in hushed tones and then stopped talking about it altogether. The silence surrounding these events compounded the trauma.

Barb’s book is part memoir and part amateur sleuth. This is not the first book about these series of murders but what makes Barb’s story unique is its focus on the enduring trauma for the family, the victim’s circle of friends, and how trauma can resonate out to the entire community. And, because Barb grew up to be a therapist, the book is a way forward towards healing the trauma.

(Click this link for a youtube video on the book and the importance of talking to heal trauma of any kind.)

Keep your joy.

Anne Milne is an every Sunday blogger, unless it’s a holiday weekend. Or summertime.