A review by katiez624
No One Crosses the Wolf: A Memoir by Lisa Nikolidakis

5.0

Memoirs that read like fiction are my Achilles heel, and this one really delivers. The story begins with a terrifying murder-suicide, one that involves the often violent and raging father the author grew up with. We learn about her childhood - the good, normal moments and the ones in which she had to grit her teeth and endure. Throughout the book, the author utilizes entries from Britannica Junior as a way to connect with how she understood the world as a child. It provides context as well as a continuous thread to make the story more cohesive.

Lisa's story is a tough one to read, but her voice is so clear and compelling. She looks back on the memories she has of her father, some good, most bad, and many so traumatic she has blocked them from her subconscious. She must come to terms with her father's final heinous crime which she very likely could have been a victim of many years ago. This is a journey of healing, finding closure, and going to the very place she last expected to go, finding love and acceptance that she never felt from her own father. It is beautiful and heartbreaking and spoken from the heart.