Sibling Abuse and the Greek Myths

This Podcast contains a paid promotion with Amazon.com. Breaking the silence about family violence requires courage, understanding, and sometimes, the unexpected intervention of ancient mythological forces. My new book "Three Kidnapped Three Siblings, Three Furies" emerged from my personal journey as a survivor of extensive family abuse, particularly at the hands of my brother while my parents stood by passively.

This horror thriller follows three families whose eldest teenage children vanish simultaneously after school. What unfolds is a harrowing quest to recover them, guided by ransom notes from the three Furies of Greek mythology—divine beings who punish wrongdoing within families. Through this narrative framework, I explore how our culture and even religious institutions often fail victims of sibling abuse, forcing us to "think outside the box" to address these hidden crimes.

My decision to write this as fiction rather than memoir stems from compassion—not for my abuser, but for his innocent children and grandchildren who shouldn't bear the weight of his actions. The novel features an inspiring heroine named Isabel who lives with well-managed schizophrenia and specializes in Greek mythology, demonstrating that people are not defined by their diagnoses. Through gore, supernatural elements, and mythological intervention, the book delivers a powerful message: sibling abuse is a terrible crime that too often goes unaddressed, and we must speak up when we suspect a child is suffering. If you enjoyed "The Overlife: A Tale of Schizophrenia," this new work continues my exploration of difficult truths through the protective distance of fiction. Available now in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook formats through the Amazon affiliate link in the episode description.

#siblingabuse #childsexualabuse #greekmyths #kidnapping #thriller #horror #fiction #confession #samehere #notmyshame

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Amazon affiliate link for “The Overlife, A Tale Of Schizophrenia,” by Diana Dirkby: https://amzn.to/44Rhx5z and for “Three Kidnapped, Three Siblings, Three Furies,” by Diana Dirkby: https://amzn.to/43CRLzY. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Chapters

• 0:38 Introduction to "Three Siblings"
• 1:15 Book Premise and Horror Elements
• 1:43 Personal Connection to Sibling Abuse
• 3:03 Greek Mythology as Justice
• 5:16 Closing Thoughts and Call to Action
• 6:49 Weekend Sign-off

Transcript

Diana: 0:21

Hello, I have written a more recent book than the Overlife A Tale of Schizophrenia. The second book is titled Three Kidnapped Three Siblings, Three Furies, which we'll refer to as Three Siblings. It is available in paperback, hardcover, kindle and audiobook formats. You can view it by visiting the affiliate link that I'll give as part of the episode description. This link is an Amazon affiliate link and I am an Amazon associate, so I earn from qualifying purchases. I also earn separate royalties from my own book sales. So to return to the subject of the second book, the book examines three families whose eldest teenage child goes missing on the same day after school. It falls within the horror and thriller genres, with the primary tension centered on the quest to recover the three kidnapped teenagers. The horror element exposes the sibling abuse within the families through compliance with the series of ransom notes. The kidnappers and authors of the ransom notes are the three Furies from Greek mythology. There I've explained the title without revealing too much as I don't want to spoil the plot for those who have yet to read the book. For those who like it, there is plenty of gore and fear in the book, but none of that outdoes the situation of a victim of real sibling abuse.

Diana: 2:06

I have been open about my first book, the Overlife, a Tale of Schizophrenia, being closely based on the experiences of my mother and me with schizophrenia. That will lead you to ask was I also a victim of sibling abuse? The answer is broader. I was a victim of abuse by all three members of my immediate family. Was it emotional, physical or sexual? This whole trio influenced my relationships with the rest of my immediate family. I was closest to my mother and I came to understand that her emotional abuse towards me as we grew older stemmed from her unmanaged schizophrenia. She was never violent with me, nor did she make any sexual advances. My father and brother did, successfully. My father when I was very young and my brother when I was a preteen. My father was violent with me, something my brother never was. Both my father and my brother inflicted emotional abuse, with by far the worst of it coming from my brother. So I was a victim of extreme emotional and some sexual abuse from my brother. My parents did nothing about it. I was at the bottom rung of the ladder in my family of four, according to my mother and brother, and they enforced the ranking, I was on the bottom rung, my father was next, then my mother, then my brother. In my mother's eyes, my brother could do no wrong and she often told me I had to do anything he asked. In my little world I had no allies. Paradoxically, despite my mother's attitudes, I knew she loved me and was very mentally ill. That helped me absorb her emotional abuse and still have many happy days with her.

Diana: 4:06

Why did I introduce the three Furies into my story? In Greek mythology, they punish wrongdoing, especially within families. Symbolically, our culture and even religion fall short in the book, despite one of the heroes being a Catholic priest. The more critical heroine is Isabel, someone who lives with schizophrenia and is a specialist in the Greek myths. Consumers of mental health are not their diagnosis. So I wanted her schizophrenia, which she is managing well, not to be a factor.

Diana: 4:50

The message in introducing Greek mythology is that we cannot always stop a severe crime such as sibling abuse, without thinking outside the box. Not only are the three families with kidnapped teens held to account, but the whole village in which they live, as witnessed by phenomena closer to biblical plagues than Greek mythology. Sibling abuse is a terrible crime and most families involved do nothing or not enough about it. The three families in my novel are initially clueless. Greek mythology steps in to provide insight. We need to examine what is absent from our culture to highlight what our culture can't successfully address.

Diana: 5:39

It enables me to leave out my real family, in particular my brother, who has gone on to live a happy life. I don't want to damage him, but most of all, I don't want to punish his children and grandchildren with the knowledge of what he did to me. My overriding request to all who are listening to or watching this podcast is don't be silent. If you think a child may be suffering from abuse by a family member, tell the police. Thank you for listening or watching. If you are on YouTube, don't forget to subscribe to my channel, enable notifications and like my videos. I leave my website and social media information in the episode description, as well as the Amazon affiliate links to my two books. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Diana: 6:38

Have a great weekend. Oh well, you've had a great weekend. Because this comes out on Sunday. I often forget that because I prepare it in advance, so I hope you had a great weekend. Bye!.