HOUSE OF CARDS: Surviving Munchausen by Proxy and a Mother's Web of Lies
by Phillippa Mann
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GENRE: Memoir
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BLURB:
A raw and unflinching memoir of survival, truth, and transformation. Phillippa Mann takes readers deep into the fractured world of a girl who grew up living with a monster--a world where love and fear shared the same face, and silence became a means of survival.
Through heartbreak, chaos, and betrayal, Phillippa's voice emerges from the shadows as she begins to piece together a life that was never hers to begin with. Her journey is one of courage and reckoning, of facing the unbearable truths that shaped her, and finding strength in vulnerability.
More than a story of pain, House of Cards is a testament to the power of healing and self-forgiveness. It reminds every survivor that bringing hidden truths into the light is not the end - it's the beginning of reclaiming your story and rebuilding the foundation of who you were always meant to be.
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Excerpt One:
My parents were married in England in June 1969. They emigrated to Canada in 1970, had my brother in September 1972 and me in October 1974. Both sets of my grandparents emigrated to Canada shortly after this to be closer to us.
I was born in Northern BC. My mother separated from my dad and moved to the Lower Mainland in 1976, approximately 900 km away, with her boyfriend at the time. While I have no recollection of that period as I was quite young, I’ve come across photos of my younger self with my dad and brother, and I can see the joy on my face. In those times, I truly felt happy. I remember camping with my dad, fishing, pretending to shave with him, and the smell of the Coleman stove. It was returning home to my mother after spending time with my dad that was the toughest part. Even though I was so little, I knew that something at home wasn’t right. I always felt such intense sadness and anxiety when my dad brought us back home after summer camping, winter break, or his weekend visits. I didn’t know how to articulate what I was feeling, and I struggled to express my emotions at such a young age, but I just knew that I hated it when my dad brought me back home. This is the first recollection I have of the abuse.
Naturally, at such a young age, I didn’t see it as abuse, and it took me over two decades to realize it. My dad would drop me off at my mother’s house before returning north, and even though I knew I’d see him again in a few weeks, to a three- or four-year-old without a grasp of time, it seemed like an eternity. I would cry when he left because I loved him so much and didn’t want him to leave. After my dad left, my mother would be so unkind to me, often ignoring me for days. I do not remember a single word being spoken to me. I recognize she must have said something to me; however, I remember the silence more than anything—the absence of good nights, hugs, or any trace of warmth. It continued until I finally begged her to say something, anything. Eventually, once she got what she wanted, she’d pretend nothing had happened, slipping back into normalcy as if the hurt had never occurred.
Excerpt Two:
As I embarked on this new chapter of motherhood and marriage, I began to re-evaluate some of the stories I had been told since childhood. How could my dad have been in bed with another man if he was married to my mother? And if he was gay, why would he marry my stepmom and then later adopt my little brother, further building a life with her? It didn’t even make sense in my mind.
He often reminisced about our family camping trips and his visits to us. I recall wondering whether his twin brother had merely shared those memories with him and why he had not wanted to see us when we were little, as it was obviously my dad I was visiting as I got older. Eventually, I mustered the courage to initiate a conversation with him. When my baby was approximately six months old, I wrote a letter to my dad expressing my need to ask him some questions and inquiring if he would be willing to visit for a discussion. He promptly called me upon receiving the letter to arrange a time for his visit.
I had prepared a list of inquiries, including whether he had been unfaithful to my mother, if she had discovered him in bed with another person (I lacked the courage to specify it was with a man), and whether he had a twin brother named Christian. He firmly denied all these allegations. Part of me wishes I had probed further or engaged in a more profound dialogue regarding my concerns; there was so much to unravel from those topics, yet at that moment, I felt content with the answers I received. For a while, I did not dwell on it too much, as I was preoccupied with my new baby.
I returned to work a few afternoons each week, and my nan would take the bus to my home to care for my son. I recall one day returning home to find his diaper on backward, and I thought about how challenging it must have been for her to fasten the sticky tabs at the back. My nan was an incredibly kind woman, and my son was undoubtedly the apple of her eye; she clearly cherished her time spent with him, and I wish she had been around longer to watch all my children grow up.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Phillippa Mann is a Canadian author who is passionate about helping others find healing through shared experience.
Her memoir, House of Cards:
Surviving Munchausen by Proxy and a Mother's Web of Lies, explores the emotional journey of growing up in chaos and reclaiming strength through forgiveness and self-discovery.
Family is at the heart of everything Phillippa does. She and her husband share a love of creating together, and their children and grandchildren inspire her every day to live with gratitude, laughter, and purpose. When she's not writing, Phillippa can be found playing with her Corgi, Glenn, crafting handmade gifts, baking cookies and cupcakes for her family business, Sweet Lavender Designs, which she started in memory of a dear friend.
She is currently working on her next creative project, a heartwarming children's book titled Hop Hop and the Great Garden Adventure, inspired by the wonder and imagination of her grandchildren.
Website
Instagram
@phillippamann.author
Amazon
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Phillippa Mann will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
We appreciate you featuring HOUSE OF CARDS today.
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