A review by mama3manda
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood by Gregg Olsen, Gregg Olsen

4.0

I noticed in many reviews a lot of people said this book was "repetitive". While some of the things that happened repeated (as in happened again and AGAIN), I do not feel it was repetitive. I felt the perceived "repetitiveness" was crucial in explaining how long the abuse took place and how often over time. It was a hard read just because of the content. It's so scary to realize there are people out there like this. Real life monsters. I cannot even begin to understand how parents could treat their own children (or anyone, for that matter) as told in this book. I also see a lot of judgment in other reviews. We didn't live this story, they did. How can you possibly understand the dynamic and situation they were in, and have the audacity to criticize how the victims handled things? A gut-wrenching read, but one I'm glad I read for the survivors.