Sundial

Oh, this book was so problematic for me. The main character Rob, made so many very questionable decisions.

Let me just put this out here to start. Please do not stay in a bad relationship because it is "better for the children." It is NEVER better for the children. At best, the children know the couple is unhappy and gets a twisted and disingenuous idea of how to act in a loving relationship. The children always know there are problems and it is just confusing to them. At worst, by staying in an abusive relationship, a parent is setting up their own children to be abused, teaching them that it is OK to treat people in an abusive manner, and that there is nothing that can be done to stop the abuse. There is a reason for the expression "Hurt people hurt."

We see example after example of Rob putting up with both physical and emotional abuse. She also is convinced her daughter, Callie is abusing her younger sister, Annie, and yet SHE. DOES. NOTHING. It finally comes to a head when Rob suspects Callie has poisoned her sister.

Now by the end of the book there are reasons and explanations given as to why Rob puts up with these things, but somehow, they do not feel justified, or in the end satisfying.

The writing in this book was excellent. It would have to be for me to feel such a passionate emotion. But for me this was not a book I could enjoy. It is obvious to me that women staying in abusive relationships is a trigger for me. I can't help but find that funny, and a bit troubling because graphic violence in general does not bother me, but the subtle and pervasive incidents of truly horrific emotional and subtle physical abuse scared and pained me. I was much more disturbed by the idea that when Rob's husband Irving gets upset he throws things, and that he yanks people's hair when he wants to punish someone then I was with the animal cruelty.

And that brings me to the animal cruelty. There is a lot of it, I mean A LOT. Rob's parents were scientists and they experimented on dogs, lots of dogs. So many dogs that they quit giving them names and just started tattooing numbers on their ears. They were performing the types of experiments that would get you on a PETA expose'. You know the ones where they go in dressed like commandos and video animals in cages being tortured for "science." And it is always "science" in quotes with them. But this review is not about the problems I have with PETA. I just think it is interesting that I was almost relieved to get to the flashback parts of the books when I would only be dealing with animal experimentation.

Well, turns out this review ended up being nothing more than a 548-word document (and yes, I ran word count to check it) listing of all the trigger warnings in this book, and for that I am sorry, but I read books for the emotional charge they give me and for escapism. For me, this book brought out some very dark and troubling emotions.