Every family has its secrets, but few are as unsettling—or as revealing—as the ones captured in Michael Clark’s The Truth About You. This novel dares readers to question what they think they know about abuse, loyalty, and truth.
About The Truth About You
When Lucy and Meg’s stepfather is arrested for assaulting their mother, relief is short-lived. Against all reason, their mother chooses to remain with him. Determined to protect her, the sisters resort to hidden cameras, believing the footage will show the reality. What unfolds is nothing Lucy expected. Instead of confirming easy answers, the evidence forces her to wrestle with troubling contradictions and moral dilemmas. Robust, layered, and emotionally honest, The Truth About You will resonate with readers who crave fiction that both grips the heart and sparks reflection.
Michael Clark is a writer, speaker, and the founder of the Ananias Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to ending domestic violence by working with those who have caused harm. His own transformation deeply informs his approach: once a domestic violence offender, he has walked the difficult road of change and now helps others do the same. Clark’s memoir, From Villain to Hero, shares that story of personal growth and redemption. With The Truth About You, he brings the same honesty and insight to fiction, crafting a novel that challenges assumptions while keeping readers engaged.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/46BS54p
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240063457-the-truth-about-you
Learn More About Michael Clark Author:
Writing Process & Creativity
How did you research your book?
Unfortunately, I have lived through many of the situations like those described in The Truth About You – both on the side of the abuser and the abused. Fortunately, I hear hundreds of stories from our clients at the Ananias Foundation, and the circumstances described are a compilation of their stories as well. As part of my work, I invest significant time keeping up with the research, thought leaders, laws, and best practices surrounding the subject of domestic violence and abuse.
What’s the hardest scene or character you wrote—and why?
Meg was the most challenging character to write about, as she represented everything The Truth About You was written to challenge. She bought into the dominant narrative about domestic violence and held on to that view, despite the ever-growing pile of evidence in front of her that refuted her assessment. Still, I wanted to give Meg depth as a human being, and none are all bad or all good. Balancing her slavish loyalty to the unhelpful narrative with positives was challenging—like trying to say something nice about your enemy.
Where do you get your ideas?
The situations and dialogue were easy – see my answer to the question about my research process above. The settings were modeled after locations found in the Des Moines, IA area, where I reside. The hidden camera idea stemmed from arguments I had with my now ex-wife. I knew that if there were a hidden camera somewhere in the house, what people would see in those videos
would have been far different (and balanced) than what she claimed happened. I never installed cameras, but I seriously considered it.
What sets your book apart from others in your genre?
There are so many novels that contain scenes where domestic violence or abuse happens. Nearly all of them follow the standard script—the stereotypical story of the abusive and controlling man and the innocent woman victim. Yet that story is the minority of domestic violence cases. Women abuse men at similar rates, around half of abusive relationships are
mutually abusive, abuse, when it happens, doesn’t always continue, and abusers do change. This more accurate story is the one told in The Truth About You.
What helps you overcome writer’s block?
I honestly never faced writer’s block. This story rattled around in my head for years, so I had what seemed like an endless supply of ideas to include. I’m also a writer who outlines extensively, so I began with a very high-level outline, then created more detailed outlines of where I wanted the story to go. Writing was more of a process of fleshing out the outlines.
What’s your favorite compliment you’ve received as a writer?
When I hear from readers that I’ve described situations and characters they strongly relate to, and as a result, gave them a voice they never felt they had, it’s a great feeling.
Your Writing Life
Do you write every day? What’s your schedule?
I have a full-time job as the Executive Director of the Ananias Foundation, so I cannot write every day like a full-time writer. That said, I do a fair amount of writing in my position, albeit some of that writing is as mundane as responding to emails.
Any quirky writing rituals or must-have snacks?
I have a secret: I never took a typing or keyboarding class in school, never formally learned to type, and my typing is slow and filled with typos. So, how did I complete an 86,000-word manuscript? I narrated much of the story off the top of my head using voice recognition, then went back and made the necessary corrections. I found that this process produced the text faster
and contained fewer errors than what my clumsy fingers created.
Behind the Book
Why did you choose this setting?
They say write what you know, so choosing Des Moines, Iowa, as my setting (renamed Veritas Falls) was a natural choice. Plus, because domestic violence affects regular people, I wanted ordinary characters, living in an ordinary place, and middle America is as ordinary as you can get.
Which author(s) most inspired you?
Jodi Picoult
Fun & Lighthearted Qs
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Anything chocolate
What are you binge-watching right now?
I watch very little television, but the last series I watched from start to finish was Breaking Bad.
If you could time-travel, where would you go?
I would go to Scotland in the 1750s-1860s, when my ancestors were “encouraged” to emigrate as part of the Highland Clearances, and then travel to the new world with them.
What 3 books would you bring to a desert island?
The Bible and two very long books I haven’t read yet.
What’s something that made you laugh recently?
Our dog and cat are a constant source of entertainment. I would also add my four-year-old granddaughter, who wanted grandpa to roughhouse with her, then squealed with delight when I
engaged.
Disclosure: I was given the chance to review this book in exchange for an honest review.
My Review of The Truth About You Book
I had a mix of conflicting feelings as I read this book. I am a survivor of various forms of abuse throughout my life. Many of them were covered in this book. When I first started really diving into this book, I was sick of how Greg was portrayed as some horrible abuser for most of this book. Granted, yes, his action was abusive. But I feel it was blown out of proportion.
But then the author started to showcase how this is the standard way the world views domestic abuse. Many people think it’s all cut and dry, but the reality is that it’s not. There is far more to this topic than goes left unaddressed. I’m glad to see that there is movement being made to address this situation differently.
The Truth About You is a book that will offer different perspectives on the topic of Domestic Abuse that many people do not consider. It’s an eye-opening read, and in many ways it’s hard to read, but it’s worth the time.
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Talk to me in the comments:
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Wow this sound like another well written book about a difficult topic. You sure have been picking some deep and emotional topics to read about.
I tend to graviate with those tough topics. But I also have dealt with a lot in my life, and I think that may be why.