Writing with resolve

Kelly Sundberg’s sunny demeanor belies the turbulence she experienced for almost 10 years that began in her mid-twenties. “Goodbye, Sweet Girl,” Sundberg’s debut memoir, chronicles the abuse she withstood at the hands of her ex-husband, Caleb. Published in June by HarperCollins, the book served as her dissertation at Ohio University, where she received her doctoral degree in English in May.

She credits Dinty W. Moore, her advisor and confidant, with helping her throughout the difficult writing process.

“Dinty really supported me right from the beginning,” Sundberg said. “He was not just supportive of me as a writer, but as a person.”

Moore says the respect and admiration was mutual. “My first impression of her was a firm resolve, a hidden strength underneath her often-lighthearted outward persona,” Moore says via an email interview. “She taught me as much as I taught her. I was, and still am, impressed by how hard she works, and also was inspired by her tenacity.”

For Sundberg, “Goodbye, Sweet Girl” meant reliving difficult moments during her uncommon marriage, filled with layers of complexity that escaped reason and logic.

As Sundberg reflected on those moments, she went to Moore for guidance. “There were many instances when I would pop in [his office] unannounced and update him on my progress or ask for advice. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t cry in there a few times,” she says via email.

Another of Sundberg’s relationships turned tenuous during this difficult time: her relationship with her parents. Just as Sundberg’s relationship with Caleb couldn’t be reduced to black-and-white terms, neither could the relationship with her parents. Yet happily, after leaving Caleb and moving to Athens, Sundberg says her relationship with her parents “is better than ever.”

For Sundberg, the painful journey she took to write “Goodbye, Sweet Girl” reaped a satisfying sense of redemption.