By: John M. Leslie
Some stories ask to be read. Others ask to be felt. Edranel Bacalso Leverenz’s Beyond the Darkness: Finding Love and Light is both a raw, faith-filled memoir that traces one woman’s journey from childhood trauma in Cebu to the hard-won peace of a life rebuilt in America. It is a page-turner with purpose, a hand stretched back for anyone still walking through the night.
A True Account With A Mission
From the first pages, Edranel makes her aim plain: this is a true account of violence, physical abuse, and mental cruelty, written to help readers reflect on the choices she made growing up. She does more than retell; she shares. With grit, prayer, and wise choices, she shows how even the most painful histories can be redirected toward meaning, service, and love.
From Cebu To Courage
Organized in vivid, cinematic chapters, The Age of Innocence, High School Life, College Life, Scholar, Online Dating, and more, the book moves with the rhythm of a life lived at full tilt. We meet a shy, hardworking eldest daughter selling candy to help her family; a scholar pushing through poverty and ridicule; and later, a young woman navigating online romance, immigration hurdles, and the shattering reality of domestic abuse. The result is a panoramic memoir, part social chronicle, part survival guide.
Faith That Holds
Threaded through the most harrowing episodes, molestation, manipulation, institutionalization, and violence, is a steady, Scripture-rich faith. Edranel does not preach; she embodies. She turns to prayer when revenge would be easier, chooses integrity when shortcuts tempt, and credits God for doors that open, a scholarship, a job, a timely mentor, as well as for the strength to flee what destroys. Readers of faith will recognize the cadence of testimony; seekers will find a reliable compass in her voice.
The Turn Toward Light
The middle third of the book is as gripping as any thriller: online courtship, a whirlwind engagement, visa interviews, culture shock, and then the chilling spiral of domestic violence. This is not a tragedy; it is a comeback. Edranel takes steps to heal, rebuild, return to school, and step into a new season with a gentler love and a firmer voice. Chapters like Lost Soul, Gifts from God, God’s Greatest Miracle, Recovery, and Victories deliver exactly what their titles suggest: hope with real-life examples.
Why Beyond The Darkness: Finding Love And Light, And Why Now
For survivors: This book reminds you that you are not alone and offers insight into how one can begin the process of leaving difficult situations. It offers practical courage without glossing over the cost.
For families and friends: It opens a window into the complex psychology of abuse, why people stay, how they leave, and what actually helps.
For faith communities and educators: It illustrates the power of mentorship, community, and education to change a life’s trajectory.
A Voice You Will Trust
Edranel writes plainly, never performative, always personal. She names both the harm others did and the harms she regrets; in doing so, she earns something rare in memoir: moral authority through authenticity, without self-righteousness. By the final chapter, you will feel like you know her; you will be rooting for every reader who sees themselves in her story.
Read It. Share It. Gift It.
If you, or someone you love, has known rejection, manipulation, or violence, Beyond the Darkness: Finding Love and Light may offer you comfort. It is a powerful companion for book clubs, church small groups, counseling centers, and classrooms that discuss resiliency, migration, women’s rights, and faith in action. Turn the first page, then let Edranel walk with you from shadow to sunrise.
