In Sickness, In Health... and In Jail: What Happened When My Husband Unexpectedly Went to Prison for Two Years

(Paperback)

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'So why did you marry Dad' my daughter asked. 'Well, over time I got to know him and he made me laugh, and . . . and I knew deep down that, that . . . even though we were really different . . . he was a good person.' Without skipping a beat, she said, 'He's not that good, he's in jail!'

After fourteen years of marriage, Mel Jacob's life looked as perfect as the roses perched above her white picket fence. The nice house in the suburbs, two great kids, a good husband. Until . . .

Her life took an unexpected detour when her seemingly saintly husband was jailed for two years. In Sickness, in Health . . . and in Jail follows Mel's funny, moving and insightful journey as she navigates single parenthood, prison visitations and nosy neighbours.

Mel's revealing account is the story of the family left behind. It chronicles the grief, the stigma and the conversational minefields of her husband's whereabouts, as well as the logistical problems of making a baby sibling for her two children, and why it's not appropriate to tell people that Daddy's in jail.

In Sickness, in Health . . . and in Jail is a funny and touching account of grief and love and forgiveness.

Reviews

A revealing story about raising a family with busybody neighbours and the stigma of having a husband in jail. * Yours *
Jacob's sense of humour lightens an otherwise sad and unenviable situation and the characters come out as likeable folk doing the best they can during scary and uncertain years. * Weekly Times *
Mel Jacob's book is about love, loss, grief, forgiveness - and truth. * Sydney Morning Herald *

Author Bio

Mel Jacob is an experienced journalist and scriptwriter. Her journalism has been published in The Good Weekend, Sunday Life, The Brisbane Times, The Adelaide Advertiser, Radio National, Kidspot, MCA and The Australian Museum. She was a finalist for Best Comedy Riverina Short Film Festival 2004, Ford Mummy Blogger 2009 and 2010, winner of the first ever blogging competition at MotherInc 2009. In 2011 her manuscript Mother of the Year was short-listed for the Harper Collins Manuscript Development Award.