ABSTRACT
Abusers use kernel stories to obscure realities. Langellier (1989) identified kernel stories as the essential aspects of a set of events from which a specific story is created and told. Autobiographical kernel stories contain two spheres: the essential components (such as the characters, events, and setting) of the lived experience; and the way the kernel story is retold. Walker and Walker were not always daughter and mother. The relationship is formed through trust, shared experiences, and most importantly love. Through thoughtful restorying efforts, Walker and Walker untangled the abusive use of kernel stories to process storied memories within the reflexive process of identity construction, thereby reclaiming lived experiences in autobiographical memories. Using a co-narrated approach, Walker and Walker analyze the experiences of leaving an abusive home and creating a new family.
