First published 2001
Callie refuses to talk. At fifteen, she sits in silence through therapy sessions at the residential treatment facility where her parents placed her. They found out about the cutting. Now she won't speak to anyone. Her story emerges through internal monologues that reveal the family crisis behind her self-harm. Her younger brother Sam nearly died while under her watch. The illness shattered her family. Her mother became so anxious and fragile that she barely leaves home. Her father retreated into work and alcohol to escape the medical bills and emotional weight. Callie must untangle her feelings about Sam's condition and her role in the family breakdown. As she begins to understand the connections between her guilt, her family's pain, and her need to hurt herself, she starts the difficult work of healing. The novel follows her journey from silence toward recovery and self-acceptance.
Genres: fiction, mental-illness, contemporary, adolescence, young-adult, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Audio Cassette · Listening Library
Content warnings: self-harm