From an unforgettable new voice in Irish fiction, a heart-pounding, life-affirming story about one woman trying to leave her marriage and start over On a bright spring afternoon, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes off the clothesline, she straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe--and that this time, when she leaves, she must stay away. On the surface, she has a perfect life: her husband, Ryan, is a good provider, sometimes even kind and attentive, from a nice Irish family, and they have another baby on the way. But he also monitors Ciara's every move, flies into unpredictable rages where he convinces her she can do nothing right, and has isolated her from work, friends, and her beloved family. Was fleeing the right thing to do? With no job and no support, Ciara struggles to provide a sense of normalcy for her little girls. Facing a broken housing system, they move into a hotel room on a floor reserved for women like her, eating takeout, washing their clothes in the bathroom sink, and building a community with the other residents. Ryan, meanwhile, wages a relentless campaign to win her back, and Ciara wavers. He never hit her, after all, and don't the girls need a stable home? For fans of Claire Keegan and Louise Kennedy, Roisín O'Donnell's extraordinary debut creates a devastating and suspenseful portrait of gaslighting and emotional abuse--and even better, a triumphant story about family, love, and finding a new place to nest.
Reviews with the most likes.
Wow. This book. I was up until 3am finishing the book, I just couldn't stop reading! This is an absolutely harrowing tale of domestic abuse, the difficult decision to leave, and the broken housing system so many people around the world have to deal with.
I had such visceral reactions to so many parts of this book. Literally balling my fists, holding so much tension in my body (which isn't great when you already have chronic pain, but it wasn't a voluntary action, so what can you do?).
This book tackles very intense topics, so please make sure to look into any content warnings, and go into this with your eyes open, and don't be afraid to stop if you can't handle it.
There were a few minor typos & formatting errors in the ARC I received (digital), but I expect these will be corrected in the final version.
All in all, this book was incredible. Harrowing. Life changing. I don't think I'll ever be the same since reading it - in a good way, this has changed me.
Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley, Roisín O'Donnell, and Simon & Schuster Australia for this ARC. I was provided this ARC for review only, I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own.
