You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
katkinney 's review for:
Wow. Sometimes you are fortunate enough to find a treasure of a story where the writing is so vivid and clear that you can see yourself in every scene, picture the imagery in the small details, and image the world coming to live. This memoir totally did that for me. This isn’t an easy read by any account. Told in dual timelines as a family gathers in present-day Belgium to stand vigil by the beside of an elderly mother, and in the past where years of horrific abuse are recounted.
The past is where this novel really gripped me. The beauty of the work is in the way small scenes convey the horror of everyday life. A child locked in a basement. An imaginary friend you’re not allowed to talk to. Forced feeding of dozens of crackers. Electroshock therapy. A father who worked for the diamond industry in Belgium who presented the outside world with a perfect family, when inside their castle of a house, everyone lived in terror of him coming home and discovering they’d had the TV set on. This is a story of rising out of domestic abuse (and the author doesn’t shy away from the true psychological and physical impacts) and rebuilding the life you want. You cheer for Christine at every step as she sets up her business and begins getting clients. You weep for her at her setbacks. And you rejoice as the book shifts in the second half and she finally begins to get the life she deserves. Powerfully written.
Trigger Warnings:
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
The past is where this novel really gripped me. The beauty of the work is in the way small scenes convey the horror of everyday life. A child locked in a basement. An imaginary friend you’re not allowed to talk to. Forced feeding of dozens of crackers. Electroshock therapy. A father who worked for the diamond industry in Belgium who presented the outside world with a perfect family, when inside their castle of a house, everyone lived in terror of him coming home and discovering they’d had the TV set on. This is a story of rising out of domestic abuse (and the author doesn’t shy away from the true psychological and physical impacts) and rebuilding the life you want. You cheer for Christine at every step as she sets up her business and begins getting clients. You weep for her at her setbacks. And you rejoice as the book shifts in the second half and she finally begins to get the life she deserves. Powerfully written.
Trigger Warnings:
Spoiler
domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual assaultPlease excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.