Into the Wilderness

Into the Wilderness is the second part of Karen Marie Dion ’s memoir, which is even more incredible than the first--Out of the Orchard: The True Story of Me.  Truth is stranger than fiction and this real-life story reads like compelling fiction, for sure.

After the bitter end to her long and trying marriage, Karen Marie embarks on a journey to rebuild her life and provide for her two young children, whilst her ex husband retaliates and plunges into deeply destructive behaviors aimed at depriving her of her income and home.

In the process of establishing a new business, Karen Marie unwittingly finds herself being taken advantage of by her tenants, and when she attempts to have them evicted from her property, they link arms with her ex, somehow managing to keep the law from being enforced. As a result of her lawyer’s advice, Karen Marie filed a report with the state Attorney General’s office, and before long she is experiencing even more strange circumstances, and finding herself a witness to investigators as circumstances spiral out of control and justice is mocked in the local courts.

Meanwhile, as a young, single mother, she suffers loneliness and tries to summon the courage to face her oppressors alone, until a handsome soldier becomes her close friend. Will they end up in love or will they remain friends and companions? Will justice prevail before it’s too late? When an investigative journalist for the New York Times reaches out to her, she is obliged to cooperate in the hopes that the spotlight he shines on reality will end her suffering once and for all.

Karen Marie shares with raw honesty how she navigated her wilderness experience, holding onto hope and faith, and revealing the lessons she learned in the process.