If I had to pinpoint my worst nightmare, I’d have to narrow it down to a Top 3 list:
- Losing a loved one
- Discovering that yes, coffee does in fact cause cancer
- Giving birth to a manipulative little psychopath and forever wondering what went wrong
…
This story is told from two perspectives; Suzette is a mother trying to decipher the bizarre behaviors of her daughter, while gaining a semblance of the affection she shows to her husband, Alex. Simultaneously, Suzette struggles to come to terms with the lack of affection and attention she received from her own mother while she was growing up and whether that has an impact on her parenting. Suzette’s precarious health and battle with Crohn’s Disease leaves her short on patience and high on stress. To make matters worse, Alex refuses to believe that Hanna is anything more than misunderstood, even with the concerning commentary from babysitters and teachers to back it up.
Hanna, Suzette’s seven year old daughter, refuses to speak, adores her father, and will stop at nothing to have him all to herself. From idolizing and taking on the persona of a long dead suspected witch, to creating a plethora of fantasy worlds to engross herself in rather than participating in the real world around her, Hanna is drawing herself further and further away from the reality she’s stuck in and becomes intent on building her own perfect world, with only her father included.
It becomes a battle of wills, and a strategic game of survival. Who will persevere…or is this even a war that can be won?
Dun dun dun!
Okay, so I loved the creep factor of this book, but I also enjoyed how the storyline wasn’t biased about where the fault in Hanna’s issues lay. Though Hanna is definitely a creepy kid, with her refusal to speak and her extremely intelligent and conniving thought process, in a lot of ways her actions are misinterpreted by Suzette. At times, it appears that Suzette purposely forms the most diabolical interpretations of Hanna’s behaviors in order to report back to her husband and present the worst version their daughter.
I found myself feeling sorry for both Suzette and Hanna at times. I felt bad for Suzette that she’d had such a complacent, lazy mom herself who didn’t show her the concern and love she needed at the onset of her Crohn’s symptoms. I also felt bad for her because this lack of mothering she received had an impact on her own mothering skills, causing her to continually doubt and question her abilities. For Hanna, the misinterpretation of some of her most innocent actions (which I won’t divulge because #nospoilers), caused her so much more trouble and led to her feeling serious resentment for Suzette.
Probably the real dimwit and pot-stirrer in all of this is Alex. His disregard of Suzette’s concerns for their daughter and obvious pleasure in basking in his daughter’s favoritism, truly damaged the well-being of his family. Not only is he the most selfish character, but he’s the one being vied for by Suzette and Hanna. He’s the ultimate prize, while simultaneously playing the villain.
You can find your copy here:
Happy & healthy reading!
Alexis
