I wrote my father a letter, telling him that she was not okay, and that we needed help with money too. This was one of many incidents that occurred over years, but this one sticks out in my mind because it was the time that I realized that the majority of what my mom worried about wasn’t real. When she got home, she went to bed, acting like nothing had happened. I spent the whole afternoon alternately hunched under my desk, or standing in my doorway, trying to decide which location was the safest. I was to pack a bag, and she would buy us plane tickets to get out of town. One day she called home in a panic to tell me that a huge earthquake was coming. She feared all Western medicine and so put her faith in natural healers, psychics, and herbs. My mother sank into a deep depression in my teenage years, with frequent bouts of intense anxiety. Like Matthew, I once confronted my father, pleading for help. He did not pay child support, even though the court had ordered him to do so. He was a heavy drinker, and he left when I was six years old. I learned to be invisible quite early, to escape his notice. My memory is made up of violent snatches of scenes, where my father hurts my mother and ridicules my little brother. Like Emmy, I don’t remember very much of my early childhood. There are parts of the beginning of this book that are very familiar to me, and I can identify with all three of these kids. I like this – not only because it relieves some of the intensity of the beginning, but because it focuses the reader on the growth of the characters and not so much on wondering about the eventual outcome. Matthew includes information about their future here and there in the letter, so the reader will know right from the beginning that these kids eventually get away from their mother. But, when Matthew’s mother finds him first, nothing goes as planned. When they witness a man defend a young child from being hit by his father in a convenience store, Matthew begins to imagine that he can track down this man and bring him into their lives to rescue them. They both have taken on protector roles for Emmy, shielding her from as much as possible, and bringing the brunt onto themselves. Matthew and his sister Callie have lived in constant fear of their mother for years, as she has become more and more violent and manic. This story is written as a letter from an eighteen year old Matthew to his now nine year old sister, Emmy, recounting events from her early childhood, which she does not fully remember. I do think that this book is well written, and I know that if I didn’t have the childhood past that I do, I would have probably liked it. I over-identified with the beginning of the book, to the extent of making myself nauseous, but the middle and ending felt so unreal that I couldn’t engage with the story anymore. However, I recognize that this dislike is influenced heavily by my own personal experience. Did I like this book? Not just no, but hell no. It will be absolutely impossible for me to rate this book objectively. I over-identified with the beginn This ended up being a pretty personal review for me, so if you don’t want to read through my melodramatic reminiscing…I suggest you (ie, the three of you that read my reviews) skip this one! This ended up being a pretty personal review for me, so if you don’t want to read through my melodramatic reminiscing…I suggest you (ie, the three of you that read my reviews) skip this one! _ It will be absolutely impossible for me to rate this book objectively. Can he call upon Murdoch to be his hero? Or will Matt have to take measures into his own hands? When Murdoch inevitable breaks up with their mother, Matt knows that he’ll need to take some action. Then, amazingly, Murdoch begins dating Matt’s mother. But then Matt witnesses a man named Murdoch coming to a child’s rescue in a convenience store and for the first time, he feels a glimmer of hope. A heart-wrenching portrait of family crisis, this is perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why.įor Matt and his sisters, life with their cruel, physically abusive mother is a day-to-day struggle for survival. For Matt and his sisters, life with their cruel, physically abusive mother is a day-to-day struggle for s This National Book Award Finalist is a thought-provoking exploration of emotional abuse, self-reliance and the nature of evil. A heart-wrenching portrait of family crisis, this is perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why. This National Book Award Finalist is a thought-provoking exploration of emotional abuse, self-reliance and the nature of evil.

Rules of survival aot