Unfolding Origami: A Memoir

Galese is a captivating storyteller. Even amidst the chilling details of one debilitating event after the next, her humor and resilience shine through. Unfolding Origami so accurately depicts the inner dialogue of a brain that has been impacted by trauma and the way in which a trauma lens can completely distort one’s sense of reality. The reader truly feels the author’s spiral, as she moves through painful experiences of coercion and manipulation across various facets of her life, grasping at anything to avoid the pain of what has happened. Instilling hope as she unfolds the inner most parts of herself on every page, it becomes clear that while healing trauma is never an easy feat, it is, in fact, possible.

Loren Galese used a word for what she did while she was being raped. Origami. Folding in on herself, smaller and smaller, until there was nothing left to hurt. She was nineteen. Her friends set her up with one of their cousins, talked her past every alarm she had, and told her not to be dramatic. She became a trauma therapist years afterward. Her book beautifully blends both women. From the girl who explained away every warning, and the clinician who can name every one of them now. Her writing is physical, and what I love most about it is that it refuses clean endings. From her Sobriety at twenty-one to her father dying of cancer, she tells her story plainly and bravely. This is a must-read for survivors, or anyone stuck in an abusive relationship, as Loren closes her memoir with practical instructions for finding a licensed therapist. She knows what it cost her to find one. And I believe her!

Loren’s writing keeps a reader so immersed even when it’s not an easy read. She has shared her worst nightmares in the hopes of helping others. I haven’t read a more honest healing book like this in a long time. I highly recommend this book, it explains trauma in a way that most people don’t understand.

As someone who understands coercion, and has lived it myself, I found Unfolding Origami deeply authentic. Loren Galese captures something many books miss: the quiet, almost invisible decisions that slowly teach us to distrust our own instincts and silence our inner voice. That’s how coercive relationships often begin, not with dramatic moments, but with subtle compromises that accumulate over time.

What makes this memoir so powerful is that it’s about far more than one abusive relationship. It’s about the universal human tendency to override ourselves in order to belong, be loved, or keep the peace. That’s something almost anyone can recognize.

Loren’s honesty, insight, and compassion make this an important read for survivors, but I also hope young adults read it before they head out into the world. It offers a language for recognizing manipulation, honoring intuition, and understanding that our inner voice is worth protecting. I only wish I’d had a book like this years ago.

The best book I have read in YEARS

From the second I started reading this book, I could not put it down. Loren's writing just grips you and her compelling story makes it impossible to stop reading. This book will change your life, your perspectives on others, and the way you understand sexual assault and addiction. I found myself sobbing quite a few times while reading it. I can't fathom the bravery and strength it took to write this book. I love her style of writing, her descriptions of people and experiences, and how she makes you feel like you are in the room. My boyfriend saw how sucked in I was and started reading it whenever I had to put it down, and he had the same reaction. I can't recommend it enough!

Unfolding Origami is an honest and deeply moving memoir that explores coercive control, trauma, addiction, and the long, nonlinear process of healing. Loren Galese writes with remarkable vulnerability, balancing painful experiences with thoughtful reflection and genuine hope.

What stood out most to me was how the book captures the subtle ways manipulation and trauma can reshape a person’s identity. Rather than focusing only on what happened, it explores what it takes to rebuild trust in yourself afterward. As both a therapist and survivor, Galese brings insight without ever sounding clinical, making complex psychological experiences accessible and deeply human. Her work and writing consistently center trauma-informed healing and compassionate self-understanding.

This isn’t an easy read because of the subject matter, but it’s an important one. It offers validation to survivors while helping friends, family members, and professionals better understand the lasting effects of coercive control and trauma.

If you appreciate memoirs that are courageous, compassionate, and ultimately hopeful, Unfolding Origami is well worth reading.