It’s only been in the last ten years that I’ve realized how abusive and traumatic my childhood really was and how garbage my parents are. I won’t be going into detail here but one of the most difficult aspects for me to swallow is that my parents will never be able to look outside themselves and see that the things they did weren’t okay — they will never understand that they were wrong, so accordingly, they will never apologize or even just acknowledge that they could have done better by me. I’m just going to have to live with the fact that, in their reality, I’m the one that’s harmed them by going no-contact with them and that’s the story that all the rest of the family will be hearing about me.
But I keep wanting that big climatic moment near the end of the second act where I let loose and read them for filth and they finally get it through their thick heads that *they* are the problem.
I understand I’m never going to get that moment in real life, but I want it so badly, so help me find books about people healing from broken families, escaping abusive parents, and learning to be whole despite less-than-loving upbringings.
I loved *Educated* by Tara Westover, *I’m Glad My Mom Died* by Jeannette McCurdy, *Fun Home* by Alison Bechdel, the Copenhagen trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen, the Patrick Melrose books by Edward St. Aubyn, and *Pageboy* by Elliot Paige.
What else ya guys got? Fiction or nonfiction are equally good to me.
by lucy_valiant