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ginam's review
5.0
I received an advanced proof of this book as part of a giveaway on behalf of Goodreads and I am so, so grateful that I was able to read this. Roxane Gay's review really nails it- this book is gripping and honest and so, so powerful. Sundberg writes from a place of understanding, for both herself and others, when she could easily write with anger and fury. Her clear, candid prose shows how difficult it is for abused partners to leave relationships and how violence becomes normalized (and almost expected) towards women. This book left me reeling and aching but also feeling somehow more complete This book hit me all the harder as, just a day after finishing it, I've had to cope with my ailing grandmother (a victim of relationship abuse) and learned that one of my closest friends is himself a victim of familial abuse. These stories affect too many of us and, as difficult as they are to tell, they give voice to those who have too long been silent and reveal the ways in which systemic patriarchal violence is perpetuated and embedded around us. Sunderberg does this with poise and also leaves us with a great deal of hope, and I cannot recommend this book enough.
lisaj4rab's review
4.0
This book grabbed my attention right away. It is an intense memoir of an abusive marriage. It is a hard read due to the abuse in the marriage. Sundberg did a great job of showing the duality of loving a person yet realizing marriage to the same person is capable of being salvaged. Glad I read the book.
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