Mother in Name Only: A Novel

Mother in Name Only is the transparent, sometimes painful, and always poignant portrait of Myrna Kaye—held inside for almost her entire life. She is a modern, educated woman who confesses her innermost reflections on a life sculpted in the '50s and '60s. Broken family bonds stalk her into adulthood, as a twice-violated wife and mother of three sons, one born during marriage but out of wedlock. The order by her husband to give him up for adoption and other harrowing secrets ticked like time bombs through the decades. Her fairy-tale reunion with one son after thirty-five years is interrupted by the nightmare same-night distancing of her other two sons.

Through yoga, meditation, and personal growth practices, Myrna makes peace with a violent past and a mother's struggle with loving her children so much, enough to let them go. Healing complicated grief, overwhelming depression, and unspeakable loss through self-forgiveness, she is liberated. Discovering her Higher Power through Twelve-Step programs, Myrna saves herself, recovers superwoman strength, and triumphs in her spirituality.
___________

"Kingsley takes us on a truly American journey of a woman who searches for compassion and meaning as she liberates herself from a loveless marriage and establishes an independent life for herself. Her struggles with the burdens of personal and family history are our struggles, and we root for her as she learns to spread her wings and fly."
—Howard C. Rubin, MD, San Francisco, California

"A compelling, sometimes tearful story of a woman's struggle to survive a sexless, loveless marriage. The novel takes a hard look at Myrna's decisions and choices, which she was forced to make ... no matter what was in her heart!"
—Barbara Bixon, President, AR Alan Productions, Boynton Beach, Florida

"Mother in Name Only is a page-turner that intersects all the heart-breaking emotions of a young mother forced by her husband to put her baby up for adoption, a taboo subject that needs to be brought to the light for healing. The arc of the protagonist Myrna Kaye is a roadmap to redemption we can all relate to, as she finds the courage to forgive herself, release resentment, and find serenity in self-acceptance. We root for Myrna because we can all relate to her struggles as a woman—and we want her to find happiness."
—Leigh Rudd, CEO, IM International Publishing, Author, Screenwriter, Laguna Woods, California

"Heartbreaking intergenerational drama meets spiritual healing in Mother in Name Only, Diana Kingsley's debut novel about a woman married to one man while carrying the child of another and how she resolves the gutwrenching aftermath. Told with unflinching reality, this tale deftly weaves back and forth in time, whisking us on one woman's circuitous journey to reinvent herself, discovering along the way what it really means to be a mother."
—Joan Liman, MD, MPH, COO, Yiddishkayt Initiative, Writer, Lyricist, New Jersey and Boca Raton, Florida