First published 2003
Katherine enjoys an affluent lifestyle with her husband and two young children that makes others envious. She lives surrounded by material comfort and social status. Yet beneath this polished exterior lies a terrible reality. Her husband presents himself as a devoted family man to the outside world, but at home he becomes violent and filled with murderous rage. Katherine desperately tries to win his affection by submitting to his demands and molding herself to his expectations. She believes compliance might protect her family and preserve their marriage. Meanwhile, their small daughter Jeanetta faces her father's cruelty with no way to escape or defend herself. The child becomes a victim of his sadistic impulses while Katherine struggles between survival and protection of her children. This domestic nightmare unfolds behind closed doors where wealth and privilege cannot shield the family from psychological and physical brutality.
Genres: domestic-fiction, suspense, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: domestic-abuse, unreliable-narrator
445 pages · Paperback · Goldmann Verlag
Content warnings: abuse, domestic-violence, physical-abuse