by Cathy Glass
First published 2009
Donna walks into Cathy Glass's home with her head down and shoulders hunched. The ten-year-old has spent three weeks in foster care with her two younger brothers before being moved to Cathy's house. She refuses to speak or interact with Cathy's children Adrian and Paula. Donna believes she caused her family's separation. Her alcoholic mother neglected and abused all three children, forcing Donna to scrub her skin with wire wool to change her mixed-race appearance. As Donna begins to trust Cathy, she reveals the extent of her physical torment. But the psychological damage runs deeper. Donna starts bullying Paula, mimicking the treatment she received at home. She trashes her bedroom and becomes increasingly aggressive. Cathy cannot leave her alone with the other children. The pressure mounts as Donna's behavior spirals out of control. Cathy must decide whether she can reach this damaged child or if some wounds cut too deep to heal.
Genres: abuse, contemporary, foster-children, adoption, family-drama, foster-parents
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: damaged-child, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Paperback · France Loisirs
Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse, domestic-violence, emotional-abuse, physical-abuse