Publishers Weekly
08/29/2022
In this wrenching debut memoir, singer-songwriter Fisher recounts the “mental, emotional, spiritual” as well as brutal physical and sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, Toby Willis. Fisher was the oldest of 12 siblings, who along with their parents performed as the Willis Clan, including regular gigs at the Grand Ole Opry near their home in Nashville, and became reality TV stars. But behind the facade, Fisher writes about the isolation of strict Christian homeschooling that preached subservient roles for women, Toby’s authoritarian rules and violent outbursts, and how the siblings were made to spy on one another. Most horrifyingly, she relays Toby’s sexual abuse of her and later her sisters, which started when she was around three or four years old. With the support of future husband Sean Fisher, she finally summons the strength to leave in her early 20s, and (with therapy) finds her own voice (“Every beautiful and broken part of my story was mine”). After a family friend reports Toby to the authorities, Fisher must reckon with her family and religious community’s resistance to exposure and guilt over her role in keeping the secrets so long. (Toby Willis is now serving a 40-year prison sentence). It’s a painful story, but it’s bravely told, for herself and “other little invisible girls and boys.” Agent: Margaret Riley King, WME. (Nov.)
BookTrib
''Unspeakable is a book that should be read, especially by girls and women who may think that they will forever be defined by the things that happen to them (spoiler alert: It won't if you don't let it). . .This book will change lives, I have no doubt.''
Library Journal
11/01/2022
Fisher, formerly of the family singing group the Willis Clan, draws on her childhood journals and songwriting skills to speak her truth and address the trauma inflicted upon her, her siblings, and their mother by their controlling and abusive father in this touching memoir. Fisher, the oldest of the 12 Willis siblings, wrote the majority of the group's songs, served as the bandleader and fiddle player, and was the first to be sexually abused by her father, Toby Willis. She also becomes the first to escape, fleeing four months before her father's arrest, shattering the wholesome image of a religious, tight-knit family that was presented on their TLC reality show or during their appearances on America's Got Talent and the Grand Ole Opry stage. Fisher begins her memoir with trigger warnings, as much of her story concerns specific and disturbing abuse she suffered as a child. She also shares details about her personal journey through various forms of therapy. VERDICT Fisher is mounting a comeback as a solo artist and receiving press attention, so there will be interest in her story. Her words will likely provide comfort to fellow survivors and encouragement to those needing to escape their own situations.—Lisa Henry
