White Oleander by Janet Fitch
This is a pretty amazing book, but definitely not for the faint of heart. The story follows Astrid as she is passed around through the foster system after her mother is sent to jail. What follows is a harrowing tale of 5 years of physical abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse. Throughout Astrid's journey, she is trying to find comfort where she can, and slowly comes to realize the extant of her mother's extreme narcissism. It's a nice portrait of a child coming to the realization that the parent they loved was actually abusive. There comes a point about two thirds of the way through the book where I almost gave up because I got so bummed out. Don't worry though, it gets better and the final confrontation between Astrid and her mom is one of the best written scenes I've ever read. I highly, highly recommend this book, but you will probably want to have a puppy or other cuddly creature nearby.
9/10
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