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Ever since his birth, Ethan has grown up in a household with an abusive father. Though the abuse has never been directed toward him, what he sees at the young age of five and earlier during his crib years has already seeped into him, shaping his outlook on life into a dark thing filled with shadows and making him sensitive and easily angered. Kate, his mother, who has endured the abuse for years, even before her son is born, is finally ready to walk away from her abuser for the sake of her son and herself. It is no easy task for her to finally open up to others in her life and share what she has endured. Nor is it easy for her to make her son understand why his father is no longer around. But if there is one thing she is certain of, it’s that she will help her son heal from the scars of his childhood.
Throughout the story, Warren provides backstories for both of Ethan’s parents. This is no doubt done to humanize Ethan’s father, and, perhaps, partially explain why he is abusive, but it doesn’t come across as effective as it possibly could. Still, it helps characterize Kate’s long-lasting relationship with her abusive husband and also reveals the complexities of Kate’s emotions and what has made it so difficult for her to walk away sooner. And though from the descriptive copy it looks like Ethan’s story, it is just as much his mother’s story and one that is an emotional insight into the horrors of spousal abuse and the effect it can have on children. Because of its subject matter, this may be a difficult read for some, but it definitely offers hope in the face of so much trauma.