Since I loved The Push so much, a reader suggested I order this book and holy moly, I have to warn you: this is DARK. There are more triggers around bad parenting and abuse here but whoa. I read it in one day as I needed to know what happened, but I felt a little sick and awful during parts of it. (It’s worth sticking with, if you like dark – it actually winds up being oddly heartwarming.) The book opens up (this is not a spoiler!) with eight year old Chrissie murdering a little boy, and describing how good it feels. Fizzy in her belly. We watch Chrissie bully her school friends, but we also see her traumatic childhood (she’s always hungry, she’s starved for love and affection by her parents, she frequently wets the bed). The book alternates between 8 year old Chrissie and adult Julia (Chrissie has grown up and has changed her identity). Julia is now a mother to Molly, living in fear that her daughter will be taken from her. I told you it was dark!!!! This was unputdownable but pretty upsetting. Order it on Amazon or Bookshop.org.
the stripe
by GRACE ATWOOD
The Stripe is a lifestyle blog for the stylish bookworm. Since its first post in 2010, it has aimed to be a daily source of inspiration for the modern woman. Written by Grace Atwood, The Stripe aims to leave you feeling like you just had coffee with a great girlfriend: savvier, more confident, and always learning something new.