“She went back to her reading, her shoulders curled towards her ears. I had always known.”
——————
The subject matter of this book was especially challenging for me as it’s an experience I know all too well, and Crossan captured the myriad long-term impacts CSA has well. 

I liked the use of chronology jumps to fill in Dolores’ history. As a character, she is incredibly disengaged from her emotions in a way that feels quite real. Several times it felt like Crossan was about to take her over edge into her own predatory acts. I was relieved when she didn’t. 

I expected Zoey to play a much more active role in the story. Even to tease that the relationship between Zoey and Dolores is pivotal feels a bit inaccurate. At best, she served as a mirror for Dolores’ emotional unveiling, but even that was brought on more by the dissolution of her marriage and her sister’s struggles. 

Crossan captured the complexity of feeling stuck in a dynamic with someone who harmed you, but is also family. I felt that this book was a kind of awakening for Dolores. In some ways it made me hopeful, and others just deeply saddened.