First published 2019
Emma lives in a tight-knit County Cork community where secrets don't stay hidden long. One evening, her world collapses when she becomes the victim of a brutal sexual assault. The attack destroys not only Emma but ripples through her family and the entire town. As Emma struggles to rebuild her shattered life, she faces a second trauma: the community's response. Neighbors whisper blame. Friends turn away. Her family begins to fracture under the weight of judgment and shame. Emma must navigate a world that questions her story, scrutinizes her choices, and punishes her for speaking out. O'Neill forces readers into Emma's experience as she confronts a society more interested in protecting perpetrators than supporting survivors. The novel exposes how victim-blaming becomes a weapon that can destroy lives long after the original violence ends.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, abuse, crime, contemporary
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: emotional-abuse, sexual-assault, unreliable-narrator
Setting: County Cork
120 pages · Paperback · Nick Hern Books
Content warnings: abuse, rape, sexual-assault