Growing up Maggie and Nikka had to walk on eggshells whenever they were around their mother. No loud noises and just the sight of Maggie was frequently enough to set her off. Dishes were thrown, words were said, and very occasionally blood was even shed. At the first chance she got Maggie decided to move to Ottawa and go to University to escape her mother's wrath. Nikka had decided to stay and take care of her parents since she didn't receive the brunt of her mother's outbursts like her younger sister.
While away Maggie flourished in her life and the two girls remained close. She graduated, got her own place, and started at her dream career. Meanwhile, Nikka still lived with her parents, but had a steady boyfriend she loved and had started her own bookkeeping business. Everything was going as great as can be expected until on Remembrance Day Nikka was driving her parents up to Ottawa for an unknown reason the car wrecked.
With this catastrophic event everything in Maggie's life changes. The job she has worked so hard for becomes threatened, her amazing apartment must go, and even the man she was seeing becomes a distant fond memory. At each turn Maggie is struggling to cope with this new life thrust upon her while two questions plague her: Why were you coming to Ottawa? and Are you in there?
I received a physical copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. At first I wasn't overly excited to read this book because I struggle with reading abuse situations, especially towards children. You live something and you don't want to bleed into your readings, even almost a decade after the situation has ended. But, I kept reading and in a lot of ways I related to Maggie. Don't tell anyone what happens at home. The phrase we had was "What happens at home stays at home."
She gamely stepped up at each turn she faced and what she felt towards her mother I don't know that I would be able to feel the same in her place. I haven't spoken to mine since 2014 and am happy with that. Nikka is amazing and I hope that she reaches a point where that everything in her life achieves some sort of normality again. Both for her sake and Maggie's.
The events in this book are very plausible and realistic, to the point where while I was talking about the book with a co-worker he asked if it was based on a real story and I had to hunt the answer down. It is not, by the way. However, it is an enjoyable but heart-wrenching story. If you are a crier be warned.
This book is available on Amazon for $15.95 by clicking here. I was unable to find an eBook copy of it on Amazon, only the physical copy.
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