Sarah Corbett Lynch has had a childhood that no child should have to face.
10 years ago Sarah learned that her beloved father Jason was dead. And the people who killed him were her stepmother Molly Martens and Molly’s father Tom.
Now 18-years-old and living in Co. Clare with her dad’s family, Sarah has written a book, telling her story for the first time, revealing the startling truth of life behind closed doors in the family’s suburban North Carolina home. She writes about the manipulation, the gaslighting and the traumatic years after her father’s death as she and her brother Jack fought for justice and looked for healing.
VIP Magazine sat down with Sarah in what is her second ever press interview. Speaking about why she wanted to share her story now.
“I wasn’t able to say anything for so many years due to a gag order and my age—I was only eight years old. I had so much that I wanted to say because my dad’s truth was twisted,” she shares.
“I was made to lie, and that’s a big reason why the Martens are out today. It’s because I did lie, but someone that I loved and trusted, my stepmom, told me to lie about someone else I loved and trusted, and called it the truth. There was a lot of manipulation and coercive control. I’ll regret that and live with that for the rest of my life.”
She goes on to say: “Writing the book, I realised that I cry a lot less now. It feels like I’m closing a chapter on my life and just putting it out there, saying, ‘This is really what happened.’ People can do with it what they like, but I think it’s a story that could help a lot of people going through traumatic experiences—it might help someone, and that’s all I want.”
Pick up the March issue of VIP Magazine for our full interview with Sarah Corbett Lynch
A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing is published in Trade Paperback by Hachette Books Ireland, €16.99