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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
From the very first page, I was hooked. Every time I thought I had the story figured out, the shifting POVs pulled the rug out from under me, revealing details that made me question everything I thought I knew. By the end, I was completely stunned.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Suicide, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Dementia, War
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence
Moderate: Rape, Mass/school shootings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Pregnancy
Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Transphobia, Medical content, Abortion, Gaslighting
Having never read a Slaughter book, I wasn't sure what to expect other than, maybe, a twist or two. Instead, I am immediately sucker punched with a violent prologue where I meet the main characters and their mom on the worst day of their lives. Only to then fast-forward 28 years and find them as capable and deeply traumatized adults, harboring secrets and regrets from and against each other. Due to the very nuanced portrayal of violence, trauma, and survival, we can understand each sister's behaviour and how it's hurting them more than helping, and still feel so much empathy for them. You can vehemently disagree with plenty of their choices and yet understand how and when they came to be. The same applies to Rusty, their father, an infamous Defense Lawyer, a morally grey man with an iron-clad sense of duty and ethics, and a particular vision on how to be a parent. Love him or hate him, we can understand why he is and acts the way he does, because he is so human.
In fact, it's his inability to betray his morals and abandon his job that is the catalyst for some of the story's major events and reveals. Twists that we are unravelling at the same time as the sisters, so we can feel that unique sense of shock and brutality together.
Because, in the end, when the picture is assembled and revealed at last, nothing remains but to pack our bags and finally move on with our lives. No bowls of ice cream needed for inner cleansing.