Lost Without Him

by Carol Scutt

Overview

In the summer of 1967, two teenagers from completely opposite kinds of upbringing met in Columbia City, Indiana. They both worked at the local Kroger grocery store. She worked as a cashier, and he worked as a night stocker. She was sixteen, and he was seventeen.

This infatuation grew into a love stronger than the worst storms and more passionate than the words of Shakespeare. The first storm they endured as newlyweds was Paul being drafted and sent to Vietnam for fourteen months. Their journey was one of commitment and determination. Their love for each other and for Christ drew them together during all the difficult times. A time did come when they nearly divorced. How they dealt with the hurt and heartache is an inspiring lesson.

Paul was a brilliant businessman and ended his career as a senior vice president with Kroger. That journey wasn't without its struggles. He made a vow to Carol in the first year of their marriage that he would see that she had everything she ever dreamed or imagined. He kept that vow even on the last day of his life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798895183816
Publisher:	WP Lighthouse
Publication date:	10/01/2024
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.52(d)

About the Author

Carol Scutt is a 69 year old widow who lives in Lafollette, TN on Norris Lake. This is her first book. She has two children, seven grandchildren and lots of nieces and nephews. She is still grieving the loss of her beloved husband with whom she spent nearly 50 years.

Editorial Reviews

2019-03-04

A woman recounts her childhood in rural Indiana and her long, passionate marriage to her high school sweetheart in this debut memoir.

Scutt grew up in small-town Indiana with a father who veered from silly to violent. With calm and even prose, the author revisits her worst moments, including having to jump out a window to escape his drunken outbursts. Surprisingly, Scutt's father was eventually saved by a minister and never had another drop of alcohol for the rest of his life. As a teenager, she was slowly adjusting to this new incarnation of her father when she met Paul—the real focus of her memoir. As she puts it, this book is "the story of our attraction, our falling in love, my salvation." After a few years of casual dating, Paul and Scutt married. (She tenderly narrates their first few hours as a couple, hinting subtly at their complete naïveté: They were nervous checking into a hotel and undressing in front of each other.) Their newfound coupledom would soon be interrupted by the draft, with Paul being shipped off to Vietnam for a harrowing year in the new bride's life. Upon his return, they moved across the country and up the economic ladder as Paul ascended in the corporate world. But with each move and bigger house, Scutt always keeps the focus on their relationship, investigating Paul's manipulative nature and how their devotion to both each other and their faith kept them together. Some readers may balk at the author's insistence on staying with Paul—especially after a counselor told her point-blank to leave him. But her persistence and dedication to Scripture and the institution of marriage will likely be appreciated by many Christian readers. Overall, Scutt elevates her memoir from being just another life story with carefully selected details pulled from her memory and letters exchanged between the couple, especially during Paul's time in Vietnam. She also shows a talent for creating wrenching dramatic moments; her early encounters with her father and the scenes of Paul's eventual, heartbreaking death are particularly well-crafted.

A well-written account that focuses on the ups and downs of family life and the rewards of religious and marital devotion.

Kirkus Reviews