What Start Bad a Mornin': A Novel

by Carol Mitchell

Amaya Lin has few memories of the years before she turned eighteen. Now in her forties, she has compensated by carefully cultivating a satisfying life as a wife, mother, and business professional. Her husband’s law practice is on the brink of major success; her neurodiverse son has grown into an independent adult; and she has come to terms with her aunt’s dementia. This sense of order is disrupted when she encounters a stranger who claims to have an impossible connection, launching Amaya on a tumultuous journey into the past.

Using three interwoven narratives spanning the US, Trinidad, and Jamaica, Carol Mitchell’s debut gives voice to an immigrant woman forced to confront her repressed memories of violent trauma.

Genres: Fiction

264 pages, Paperback

Published July 9, 2024

Reviews

[BookOfCinz Reading Retreat Host · Rating 3 out of 5]

A debut novel that you won’t want to put down!

In Carol Mitchell What Start Bad a Mornin' we are taken to Jamaican, USA and Trinidad and Tobago through the point of view of Amaya Lin. Amaya Lin is in her forties, and is living a successful life, working at her husband’s law firm. They live comfortably with their son the only major problem in Amaya’s life is dealing with her aunt’s dementia. After much negotiating Amaya finally convinced her husband to file for her Aunty who was living in Jamaica to come and live with them in Jamaica. One afternoon, on her way to pick up her Aunty Amaya saw a woman who coming up to her car who looks exactly like her. This encounter led to her having a black out, and spirals into her wanting to find out why the woman looks like her and what she’s been blocking out of her life since the death of her parents.

Amaya spends the rest of the time trying to piece together her life before coming to the US. From both of her parents dying, losing her twin sister, going to Trinidad and meeting her husband to migrating to the US for a better life. Amaya has repressed a lot and now she is ready to face the past, but how will it affect her present?

What can I say about this novel? I did have a good time reading it, I think the author did a good job of making it a page turner by feeding the reader bits of information throughout the book, to the point where you HAD to know what happened. I felt the ending was very rushed, and the story wrapped up entirely too nicely. I felt like I didn’t know any of the characters, and they were a bit one-dimensional. The husband was a bit, underwhelming and her friendships didn’t read as believable. I did enjoy the bits about her son those parts were heart-warming. I just felt there were a lot of plot hole for me to thoroughly enjoy it.

Do read this if you like a page turning debut novel.

[Kim Krapf · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Start Bad a Mornin' is a thoroughly enjoyable and deeply moving novel about a Jamaican-American woman facing the ghosts of her past.

Amaya Lin is a successful businesswoman, working at as an integral part of her husband's law practice. She is also a devoted mother to her neurodivergent adult son, Taiwo, and the primary caregiver to her elderly Aunt Marjorie, the woman who took her in when her parents passed away. Everything is going according to her life plan, including the major deal she and her husband are about to close at work... until a young woman claiming to be her sister shows up in her life, and derails it. Amaya must grapple with a past she cannot remember, and discover how to move forward with her life as the skeletons of her past are unearthed piece by piece.

I absolutely loved this novel. The POV switches between Amaya's present day life and her past in Jamaica and Trinidad. Mitchell beautifully transitions between the two, and each new memory unveiled was a gift to the reader. The final conclusion was equal parts heartwrenching and heartwarming. My only complaint - and it is hardly a complaint - is I would have gladly read more if the book had continued past the point at which it closed. I wanted more! But that's a happy feeling for a book to leave you with.

This was also my first read set - in part - in Jamaica. Mitchell did a great job of introducing readers to the political situation and climate of Jamaica in the time period, as well as representing the struggles of immigrants to America in a post-9-11 world.

I would highly recommend this book. It was a strong 5/5 for me, and I look forward to purchasing a copy for our library! Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy of this book.

[MariaR · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so confused. It took halfway through the book to even get to the issue, the first half just seemed to be a long intro that never ended. I’m still confused having finished it. Why are all these subplots happening in the latter part. I am just so confused. 1.5 stars.

[aishareadsnrambles · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
🇯🇲🇯🇲
I knew this book was going to be good when I read the synopsis. It was a very easy read, I kept on reading it steadily. At first, I was judgemental towards Amaya, but I understood her as I read the backstory behind her trauma. If that happened to me, I'd gladly forget it all and run away.
🇯🇲🇯🇲
This is the first book I'll be reading based in Jamaica, although it was set in 2003 and 1980s. I liked how the author portrayed the political situation in the 1980s. I also liked the Jamaican patois, but I was only able to understand it because it's similar to Nigerian's pidgin. I wished the author had explained the unfamiliar words.
🇯🇲🇯🇲
I liked how Amaya kept going back(in her memory) and how she returned to Jamaica to recover her forgotten memories. I didn't like the ending because I'm a sucker for an epilogue, and I didn't get one here. There were still some loose ends, and I'd have loved to see them tied
🇯🇲🇯🇲
This book is the author's adult debut, and she did a wonderful job, I recommend it!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good debut novel that traversed America, Jamaica, and Trinidad. Amaya begins as a fragile woman with insecurity so deep that it hinders her identity. She’s a wife, mother, and caregiver to her Aunt with dementia, but we don’t know much more. The book hops from present tense to past tense as Amaya tries to remember who she is. This is especially triggered after a random encounter with a woman who claims she’s her sister. Amaya can’t remember having a sister and thus begins a journey trying to unravel and understand who she is.

The book is slow, but speeds up at the end as we become privy to the missing pieces of her childhood.

The ending felt abrupt and I am hoping there’s a follow up book so that we learn what becomes of Amaya upon her remembering and embracing a past that had been locked away and hidden for years.

[Anar Virji · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a phenomenal book! Mitchell’s book weaves together family, loss, and mystery beautifully in the story of Amaya, a Jamaican immigrant in Washington DC whose world shifts one day after an encounter in a parking lot.

[Njoki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this book so slowly.

[Jeatherhane Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

“What start bad a mornin’ can’t end good ah noon time.”

I was really loving this story about an immigrant family in the DC area. Amaya lives a comfortable life working in her husband's law firm. She looks after her aunt who has dementia, and she has successfully raised a neurodivergent son. But then a woman shows up claiming to be her sister, and Amaya feels a pull to visit Jamaica to uncover past secrets.

It was a slow burn family drama, but when Amaya goes to Jamaica the story turned plot-based. There were so many things going on, it lost me. I also didn't really buy the amnesia thing. It felt too convenient.

This was still a decent debut novel. I would read more by this author.

[Nerissa Golden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amaya's story mirrors that of many Caribbean people. Born in one island, relocate for school or work and then take the leap to America or other foreign shores.

The choice of What Start Bad a Mornin' as the title for Carol Mitchell's debut novel is an invitation to discover how the rest of the Caribbean proverb "cyan end good a evenin'" applies.

Amaya is living in US when the story begins but we are soon taken on a cross-Caribbean journey getting glimpses into her life in Trinidad where her husband is from and further back to Jamaica, an island she pretends isn't really part of her history.

Page by page we feel her pain but not what caused it. Why is she triggered by the sudden appearance of a woman who may be from her past? How does she make life normal for her mentally challenged son? What has she chosen to forget?

The shocking revelation in the final chapters was a promised delivered.

[Kayla Boss · Rating 3 out of 5]

cw: sibling separation, domestic violence, Alzheimer’s

the premise of this book is very intriguing - a commentary on the repression of trauma resulting in such severe memory loss that our main character is drawn back to her home in Jamaica to uncover the truth that she can no longer keep at bay. i was drawn into the storyline butttt

it fell short for me. there are some significant plot holes, a rushed ending and the characters are not well defined. i didn’t feel emotionally connected to anyone or anything. and the author engages with some negative stereotypes about drugs and people who use drugs as well as attempts to categorize people who commit crimes

if you’re into light, quick, page-turning reads, you’ll enjoy this!

thank you to @netgalley and @centralavenuepublishing for the advanced copy 🩵

[Adrienne Adrimano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not predictable, but some of the happenings were too convenient.

Nonetheless, a strong adult debut. Very good narration.

I find that the books written by persons who used to live in the Caribbean and hold on to their memories from decades ago come across as a little out of touch and overly nostalgic sometimes. This book wasn't that bad, but you can tell from the author's descriptions that Jamaica is frozen in time in her mind at the time of her emigrant departure, even with "present day" descriptions in the book.

[gayle peeden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a woman who comes to America with only her new husband and no memories of her early life. She survives a son with autism, a mother in law who thinks she is a gold digger and dealing with an aunt who has dementia. Then her world is turned upside down when a stranger tells her that she is her sister. To find the truth she must travel back to her beginnings and find the past she blocked out.
Good book. I would have liked to find out what happened once she returned home.

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had potential and the story plot was interesting.

I didn’t like how each sentence was overly crammed with artistic expression that’s usually reserved for when authors are trying to make a statement. Made everything feel dramatic.

The ending came together way too quickly. It also feels like it was teeing up for a sequel.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very confused with how this book ended. It feels like there are so many things left unresolved. If this was just supposed to be a story about the FMC getting her memory back, why introduce all these other subplots only to not finish them? Three stars because of my Jamaican Heritage

[Kerry | KerryGetsLiterary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a gifted copy from Reedsy Discovery for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

"The problem with trauma, though, it that it doesn't heal under cover."

Oof.

Amaya Lin doesn't remember much about her childhood, which has never concerned her. Now in her forties, she is a successful businesswoman working with her husband and friend at their law firm, has raised her autistic son into a fantastic and independent young man, and is caring for her elderly aunt with dementia. After leaving work one day, a strange woman approaches Amaya with a bombshell, catapulting her into a challenging dive into her past, which she thought she had long since closed the door on.

Beginning in the US where Amaya currently lives in 2003, we follow her journey through figuring out her past, recalling events back from Trinidad and from her first home in Jamaica. These three timelines pieced together hooks the reader's attention as we are given glimpses into Amaya's past, her pain and trauma, and a better understanding of who she is.

Amaya as the MC is strong and resilient. As we (and she) learn what she has been through, we see her shaken but tenacious. Despite her difficulties, she continues on to find out the truth. Readers will be able to connect with Amaya and empathize with her as they read along. Mitchell's writing is pictorial, allowing the reader to feel like they are there with Amaya, experiencing the book with all five senses with Mitchell's vivid and detailed descriptions.

While Amaya's story of childhood trauma and the psychological impacts are the bulk of What Start Bad a Mornin', it also touches upon other important topics, such as the immigrant experience, race and racism, marriage and secrets, and parenthood.

The ending is left a bit unfinished, which is fine, because life's problems aren't always solved easily or with immediacy, however in this case it felt rushed. Another chapter or two to wrap up unanswered questions or at least a glance or insight into what happens next would have enhanced the story further and would give readers a bit more closure.

Overall, a lovely debut that I would recommend and encourage others to read, and I would definitely read more from Carol Mitchell in the future.

[Sarah Natannia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this ARC back in July and really enjoyed it. I can't believe it's already September and this gem comes out in a few weeks. Big up Caribbean authors!

𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝙱𝚊𝚍 𝙰 𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗' is Carol Mitchell's moving debut novel detailing the life of Amaya Lin, a Jamaican immigrant to Trinidad and eventually the US. Life is good, until one day a strange woman makes an impossible claim that triggers some repressed memories, shaking Amaya to her core and forcing her to do a deep dive into a past that she's tried to avoid for years.

The novel's three interwoven narratives take readers from the US back in time to Trinidad and Jamaica to help piece together Amaya's traumatic story and her fight for survival. Throughout 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝙱𝚊𝚍 𝙰 𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗', Mitchell addresses the psychological impact of childhood trauma as well as the intersectionality of race, class, and gender, all while tying in the immigrant experience. With every new detail revealed, I became more and more engrossed in the authenticity and compelling nature of this book. This one is juicy, ya'll!

Amaya is a smart and resilient MC and her story ends (or begins? 👀) with a 💥bang💥 Even though I appreciated its final moments, I honestly wish we got a little more time with her and her family; so many questions left unanswered! I'm hoping that means there's a continuation of the craziness and that we get to see more of the Lin family and friends in the future. Lovers of immigrant stories, family drama, and Caribbean literature, you wont be able to put this one down!

Rating: 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲/5

Pub Day: September 19, 2023

Thank you to Carol Mitchell and Central Avenue Publishing for providing me with this e-ARC via NetGalley!

*All opinions in this review are 100% my own*

[N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amaya Lin lives in Virginia with her husband, her adult son and her elderly Aunt Marjorie. As Amaya is leaving work one day to pick up Aunt Marjorie, she’s approached by a strange young woman who claims to be her sister. Amaya isn’t really fazed by the woman’s words.. but her Jamaican accent? That causes Amaya to black out.

This story takes place in 2003 and flashes back to Amaya’s teenage years in Jamaica and her early twenties in Trinidad. We learn that Amaya has no family and has practically no memories of growing up in Jamaica. However, as the book goes on, Amaya grows curious about why she can’t remember her past and small things like the woman’s accent cause her to black out but then recall repressed memories.

This book was written beautifully and the story was unique. I really enjoyed the historical aspect and the way the author interwove the political turmoil in Jamaica into Amaya’s personal story. However, I felt that the beginning of the book moved a bit slowly and I really kept reading because I wanted to know what happened, not necessarily because I was invested in Amaya’s story. I felt like the circle ended up fully closed on Amaya’s past but I had unanswered questions about the “present day” (2003) plot. All in all, an enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the e-ARC.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated every second of this story. Mitchell caught me with the title, a nod to a popular Jamaican proverb, 'What start bad a mornin', cyann turn good a evenin'" and it just shaped the quest of the main character, Amaya Lin as she begins learning bits and pieces of her past. Amaya has a seemingly uncomplicated life - she has a family, works with her husband and best friend at a law firm, deftly cares for an aunt with dementia, and continues to pour into her autist son who has grown in an independent and caring adult. But, when she meets a stranger in the parking lot, claiming to be her sister, it triggers memories she's kept locked inside for 24 years.

Mitchell captures all the color and life of growing up in the Caribbean and portrays a beautiful immigrant story of how Amaya created a life for herself in the US and what she left behind. There were so many moments, I knew exactly what was happening historically from my own upbringing in Jamaica - this book pays homage to a time of change and the experiences each character faces is even more meaningful when you understand that backdrop.

I went to the book launch for this and am absolutely in love with this novel. Beautiful debut adult fiction from Mitchell. Hope others read and enjoy!

[Jan Kleinman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book grabbed me from the start because the main character is drawn so precisely. The reader feels what she is feeling and knows what she is thinking. Ms. Mitchell has keenly observed the world and evokes its very smells and textures for us.

As it unfolds, the reader realizes this is a mystery which unfolds backwards in time. The character has forgotten her past, and little by little is reminded of snippets. I kept reading because I wanted to see how she ends up and what she ultimately remembers. While we never exactly learn the former, we do learn the latter, and by then, we know her well enough to surmise her future. I closed the story with a sense of hope that the truth would set her free.

I also learned about late 20th century Jamaican history. The climax of the book (which took place in the character's past) is set during a dangerous time in Jamaica. The political instability and social divisions led directly to the sad truth about this family. What unfortunate power our environment has on us!

This is an absorbing read that took me to a different place and time--just as I hope literature will do. Thank you, Ms. Mitchell.

[Ivy Kaprow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always feel funny saying a book with an adult protagonist is a coming of age story, but that’s truly what What Start Bad a Mornin’ is.
Amaya Lin works in her husband’s law firm as the bookkeeper, she’s also a mother to her 20 year old autistic son and the caregiver to her Aunt Marjorie, whom she had lived with in Jamaica as a child. Amaya has kept her past in the past, never liking to discuss her childhood with anyone. One day, while she and her son are helping to give out dinner at a homeless shelter a woman enters and Amaya is transported back to the past (in her head). This is the catalyst she needs to start truly looking at her past and trying to revive all of the memories she has suppressed throughout the years.
I really loved how this was written- it’s all first person and the transitions into Amaya’s memories are seamless. We are completely submerged into her past in Jamaica with her, complete with the Jamaican patois. The scene setting and description of everything from smells to the temperature was fantastic, really making it feel like we were right there beside Amaya.
This is Carol Mitchell’s debut novel and I can’t wait to see what else she has to give us.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amaya can't remember much of her life in Jamaica before she lost her parents and was raised by an Auntie. She is in America, married, and has a child when a woman calls her "sister" and she starts having little losses of time. Unlike many books I've read, instead of traveling from the Caribbean to America, this one goes backwards as Amaya tries to fill in the gaps of her memory. I liked that approach. I liked Amaya and the life she has in America and can feel the tension of her concern about uprooting it all by delving into her own past. The only thing I didn't really like was the abrupt ending. I would have liked 1 or 2 more chapters with her back home. Not that I want everything tied up in a ribbon, but having her start that process would have brought things full circle for me. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.

[sobia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars!

This was definitely an emotional rollercoaster!

What Start Bad a Mornin' is a story of trauma and how it can affect your whole life. I was so deeply connected with Amaya and had her back throughout the story. I loved how vivid the descriptions were and how easily I was drawn into Amaya's past.

I learned a lot from this book too, such as the vast diversity of the population in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago! It was refreshing to see how accents and dialects were incorporated into the dialogue.

I just wish it was longer. The shortness of the book meant that the book felt a little rushed, especially the ending. I feel as if we as readers really didn't get any closure, and did Amaya? I would have loved to see at least an epilogue of sorts?

Overall, it was a great read that I could really lose myself in.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Round up to 3.5 stars

I was fully prepared to give this book a solid four stars. I really enjoyed the shifting narrative and how pieces of Amaya and Brian’s early life were revealed in flashbacks. I liked the mystery of Amaya’s past and that the reader has to be ok with being confused for a little while until answers start to come. However, the closer I got to the end, the more I worried that certain problems were going to be left unresolved, and unfortunately, I was correct. While the reader does learn the truth about Amaya’s family, every other problem is left hanging, seemingly for the reader to figure out. I would have much preferred to have more of a solid resolution to the story, rather than it just…ending. For this reason, it lost half a star for me.

[Liane Spicer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Start Bad A Mornin’ is a tense, gripping tale of a woman's unwilling spiral into her own locked past. As her protective layers of amnesia are inexorably stripped away, the pillars of her life tilt, crack and crumble, forcing her to question everything she believes about herself as she scavenges for the truth: What is real? What is mirage? Amaya's journey of self-discovery takes her thousands of miles, real and newly recollected, from her ordered existence in Virginia, USA to the Caribbean island of Trinidad where she lived as a student and met the man who would become her husband, and finally to Jamaica, her birthplace, where the threads of a turbulent political and personal history intersect and converge in a tapestry as violent as it is revelatory.

[Kenny [the.idlereader] ⋆˚✿˖° 𐙚 ₊ ⊹ ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

thanks to @netgalley the publishers and the author for this advance readers copy. 🥳🥳

"𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓫𝓪𝓭 𝓪 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷' 𝓬𝔂𝓪𝓷 𝓮𝓷𝓭 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓪 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓷'."

"𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓷 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓹𝓾𝓽 𝓲𝓽 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓽𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯."

𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: i like that the writing was so easy to read. i believe this is something Caribbean authors have really mastered. the story telling was smooth. 👏👏 i loved how the author chipped in a lot of history and touched on diverse cultures.

however, the ending felt rushed, like the author wanted to just give it a good ending (we didn’t get any further update on some of the characters, Angela, Aunt Marjorie and even Brian). it felt incomplete, like though there could be more. what happens next? overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book! 🥳🥳

[Arrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I went through the five stages of grief throughout this book. This is a story about a Caribbean woman, named Amaya, who moved to America with her husband and baby to start a new life. Now, she's in her 40's, has a lot on her shoulders, and can't remember most of her life. The author does a fantastic job approaching the topic of mental health and trauma. The depictions of dissociation were so detailed and accurate. Amaya doesn't always make the best decisions but that's what makes her such an interesting character. She's trying to figure out her repressed memories and trying to protect her family at the same time. You can almost feel the amount of stress she is under. I liked the writing style. Don't be intimidated by the small font, this story will suck you right in.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written story. The reveal of Amaya’s childhood and past is cleverly woven into the narrative. Rather than chapters skipping back in time Amaya has flashbacks stimulated by sensory triggers, and this somehow makes it a much more emotional uncovering. I felt like I was on the journey of discovery with her rather than just reading about it. Fantastically paced with heartfelt deep characters a definite recommendation.

Due out in September - add it to the to read list

@netgalley @centavepub

#bookreview #whatstartbadamornin #carolmitchell #childhoodtrauma #memories #carribean #immigration #canyourecommendagoodbook #bookstagram #bookrecommendations

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The past is always with us whether we remember it or not. Amaya is Jamaican with no knowledge of her ancestors. She has only one family photo of herself with her grandmother. While her future husband's family have many family photographs and ancestor stories. It is very interesting to read about the Chinese connection with his family. The Chinese origins make the Jamaican and black experience richer than any wedding cake. In the beginning, we are in Fairfax, Virginia. From the Caribbean to the United States is not an easy jump for Amaya. Where we begin our lives is always with us. No matter how many miles are put behind us. We are never far from our birthplace.

[Jewel Amethyst · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Start Bad a Mornin' by Carol Mitchell is an expertly crafted story weaving past and present into an intricate fabric with a surprising ending. Carol Mitchell takes you on a wild journey through the mind of Amaya, as she peels back layer after layer, revealing suspenseful glimpses into a past she would much rather forget.
This aptly titled story knits together the experiences of immigrants in the US and Trinidad and highlights the historic culture and politics of Jamaica in the late 20th century in a twisted tale that would keep you turning the pages.
What Start Bad a Mornin is a must read.

[Miso Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Real rating: 2.6
The plot was interesting from a clinical standpoint: main character with immigrant background and trauma-induced retrograde amnesia. From a trauma lens, it was intriguing but towards the end, it felt rushed and if she were my client, I would not recommend such a flooding and emotionally overwhelming trip to the source of the trauma so soon. There were also loose ties in the plot that still needed to be resolved. Just because someone returns to the site of their trauma and unearths memories doesn’t mean everything is suddenly resolved after they’ve broken through their dissociative barrier. That’s actually more dangerous and potentially retraumatizing…anywayyyyy