** spoiler alert ** I got this book from Goodreads First Reads. Carmine Ellis was an abused woman who, after many years of abuse, killed her husband to escape the violence. She had two young children at the time, Sasha Ellis and Ranford “RJ” Ellis. Convicted and doing 20 to life in prison, she writes letters to her children asking for their forgiveness and asking them to change their lives before it's too late. Telling her children she has come to terms with what she's done, knowing she can't change the past.
Now adults, RJ continues the cycle of violence by beating his wife, cutting her off from her friends and family, and cheating on her. RJ wants a son and his wife, Honor, does not and is on birth control. RJ tampers with his birth control and Honor ends up pregnant. The physical abuse stops during her pregnancy for the most part, but the emotional and mental abuse continues. She must follow a schedule and is abused if she does not. Honor does not enjoy being pregnant and her spirit is broken and she looks and feels miserable. Once their son is born Honor feels no connection with the baby, every time she looks at Day, she sees RJ and it repulses her and she functions more on routine autopilot when tragedy strikes One day a woman shows up at their door and claims she is having an affair with RJ, Honor does not believe her so she tells Honor when he will be at her house again and leaves. Honor takes Day and goes down the block to the neighbors house and sees her husbands car. The woman left the door unlocked for Honor and she goes in, hearing noise upstairs she heads up the stairs when she hears the woman with her husband. She can't believe what she hears and leaves with her head in a fog, trying to wrap her mind around what she just found out. On this 'autopilot' she heads home to give Day his bath and realizes she is off her schedule and RJ will be home soon. In her foggy haze she fails to notice how hot the water is and that Day is drowning in the tub. RJ comes home to all of the lights off and goes upstairs to find Day dead in the tub and Honor just sitting there next to the tub. Facing charges, the years of mental, verbal and physical abuse came to light. While found guilty of endangering the welfare of a child and acquitted on the charge of involuntary manslaughter by reason of temporary insanity, Honor is sent to a mental hospital for her sentence.
Sasha Ellis continues the cycle by being in and staying in an abusive relationship. Addicted to drugs and abused by her boyfriend seems bad enough, however it gets worse, her boyfriend sells her to other men for money and drugs. One day Sasha's boyfriend forces her to break into RJ's house to steal things they can sell for money and drugs. Sasha comes face to face with Honor and demands money, when Honor refuses, she starts trashing the house and throwing a fit when she realizes that Honor is going into labor. Being the only other person there, Sasha drives Honor to the hospital and when she gets ready to bolt Honor asks her to stay. Sasha sees her nephew being born and it sparks a change in her and she reaches out to the House of Hope, a domestic violence shelter. Committing to turning her life around, Sasha enters into the program a beaten drug addict and comes out a sober woman with a bright outlook on life.
This book is fiction, however it hits the nail on the head that domestic violence survivors can get out and change their lives for the better. It also shows how a woman who is the victim can be broken down and just become a living, breathing shell of a person. Being a domestic violence survivor myself, I could enjoy this book.
Now adults, RJ continues the cycle of violence by beating his wife, cutting her off from her friends and family, and cheating on her. RJ wants a son and his wife, Honor, does not and is on birth control. RJ tampers with his birth control and Honor ends up pregnant. The physical abuse stops during her pregnancy for the most part, but the emotional and mental abuse continues. She must follow a schedule and is abused if she does not. Honor does not enjoy being pregnant and her spirit is broken and she looks and feels miserable. Once their son is born Honor feels no connection with the baby, every time she looks at Day, she sees RJ and it repulses her and she functions more on routine autopilot when tragedy strikes One day a woman shows up at their door and claims she is having an affair with RJ, Honor does not believe her so she tells Honor when he will be at her house again and leaves. Honor takes Day and goes down the block to the neighbors house and sees her husbands car. The woman left the door unlocked for Honor and she goes in, hearing noise upstairs she heads up the stairs when she hears the woman with her husband. She can't believe what she hears and leaves with her head in a fog, trying to wrap her mind around what she just found out. On this 'autopilot' she heads home to give Day his bath and realizes she is off her schedule and RJ will be home soon. In her foggy haze she fails to notice how hot the water is and that Day is drowning in the tub. RJ comes home to all of the lights off and goes upstairs to find Day dead in the tub and Honor just sitting there next to the tub. Facing charges, the years of mental, verbal and physical abuse came to light. While found guilty of endangering the welfare of a child and acquitted on the charge of involuntary manslaughter by reason of temporary insanity, Honor is sent to a mental hospital for her sentence.
Sasha Ellis continues the cycle by being in and staying in an abusive relationship. Addicted to drugs and abused by her boyfriend seems bad enough, however it gets worse, her boyfriend sells her to other men for money and drugs. One day Sasha's boyfriend forces her to break into RJ's house to steal things they can sell for money and drugs. Sasha comes face to face with Honor and demands money, when Honor refuses, she starts trashing the house and throwing a fit when she realizes that Honor is going into labor. Being the only other person there, Sasha drives Honor to the hospital and when she gets ready to bolt Honor asks her to stay. Sasha sees her nephew being born and it sparks a change in her and she reaches out to the House of Hope, a domestic violence shelter. Committing to turning her life around, Sasha enters into the program a beaten drug addict and comes out a sober woman with a bright outlook on life.
This book is fiction, however it hits the nail on the head that domestic violence survivors can get out and change their lives for the better. It also shows how a woman who is the victim can be broken down and just become a living, breathing shell of a person. Being a domestic violence survivor myself, I could enjoy this book.