One Foot Wrong

by Sofie Laguna

A child is imprisoned in a house by her reclusive religious parents. Hester has never seen the outside world. The story told by Hester is often dark and terrible, but the sheer blazing brilliance of her language and the imagery that illuminates the pages make this novel an exhilarating, enlightening and joyous act of faith.

Genres: Fiction, Horror, Religion, Australia, Contemporary, Psychology, Drama

249 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Sofie Laguna originally studied to be a lawyer at the University of New South Wales, but after deciding law was not for her, she moved to Melbourne to train as an actor. Sofie worked for a number of years as an actor at the same time as completing a Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Sofie is now an author and playright writing for both adults and children.

Her many books for young people have been named Honour Books and Notable Books in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards and have been shortlisted in the Queensland Premier’s Awards. She has been published in the US and the UK and in translation throughout Europe and Asia.

Her picture book, On Our Way to the Beach, was included in the White Raven 2005 annual selection of outstanding international children’s books by the International Youth Library (Associated Project if UNESCO)

In 2008 Sofie released her first novel for adults, One Foot Wrong, to international acclaim. It was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award. Screen rights for the book have been optioned and Sofie has recently completed the screenplay.

Sofie continues to write for a wide readership, from picture books for very young children, to series for older readers, to novels for adults.

Sofie lives in Melbourne with her partner and their young son.

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a confronting, at times, torturous look at life from inside Hester’s head.

We first meet Hester as a young girl and stay inside her head for the next fifteen years.

Living in Hester’s head is not like living inside of your head. Hester’s head is really messed up.

This could be because Hester was born with a disability or it could a result of living her parents. Hester’s mother was a cruel, vindictive religious zealot. Who locks Hester inside the house calling the outside ‘the evil place’. The punishment for perceived wrong doings was for Hester to be hung by the arms for hours so ‘she could feel the pain that Christ felt’.
Hester’s father, also a zealot, saw nothing wrong with sexually abusing Hester for years.

How Hester copes with life is like reading ‘Alice in Wonderland’. With no contact with outside Hester is forced to make friends with brooms, door handles, wooden spoons and a range of other things. All these friends talk to Hester and she talks back to them.

It takes a long time for things to get better for Hester but things will get worse before getting better. To find out just how bad things get for Hester you will need to read the book.

This would have to be one of the most original stories I have ever read. Hester’s world is very different for ours but for Hester it makes perfect sense and before long it will make perfect sense to you as well.

Highly recommended 5/5

[John Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The review I wrote when I stopped reading this one at 34% is below. I decided to revisit and finish this book as I found the writing intriguing at the least and had read Sofie Laguna's other three adult novels. This is probably the strangest and most challenging book I have ever read; I would not recommend it to anyone as the themes are very dark indeed. But the language is extraordinary and Hester will stay with me for a very long time, as well as all her companions like spoon, axe handle, tree, spoon and the rest. Not for the faint hearted, but I'm going to give it four stars because the writing is extraordinary, although very very dark. 1/1/24

25/3/23
I loved Hester's view of the world, naming everything as real things such as spoon, cat and even naming her parents Boot (dad) and Sack (mum). They are religious zealots and keep Hester locked inside her house as the outside world is evil, until social services comes to the home and forces Hester to attend school. I loved her view of the world and have liked all of Ms Laguna's following novels, some more than others.

But as much as I loved the writing and Hester's view of the world, when her dad, who is far kinder to her than her mum, sexually abuses her at 34%, I was done.

Not for the faint hearted, which is me. DNF at 34%. Loved the descriptive writing up until then though, Ms Laguna certainly has a way with words. I cannot rate this one, other than the writing itself and descriptions of Hester's world were 5 stars.

[Ace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how you come up with these stories, Ms Laguna, but I sure hope they are fictional.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hester Wakefield is an only child who lives her days confined to home with her reclusive religious parents. From one day to the next Hester lives a dark and lonely life. Hester's parents show her no love toward her and make it clear to her she is not wanted. Hester suffers mental and physical abuse and is never allowed to venture outdoors. Hester must find ways to entertain herself indoors and over time that is exactly what she does. Items around the house take on a different meaning and Hester learns to escape into her own world.

I have read a lot of confronting and disturbing books over the years and this book is right up there with them. Aussie author Sofie Laguna has done a remarkable job in writing this book. Highly recommended.

[My Reading Days · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another 5 star book for me from the beautiful writing of Sofie Laguna. Perfectly paced and such a clever way of telling this story. Sofie Laguna's ability to write from a child's perspective is such a gift and such a joy to read.

[lucky little cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can trust Sofie Laguna to tackle a difficult subject honestly and compassionately.
One Wrong Foot is a welcome deglamorization of novels like Room where women and children graciously rise above horrific lifelong abuse and molestation. The abuse young Hester suffers leaves her substantially damaged. And Laguna follows the consequences of that cycle of abuse to utterly believable and unsensationalized consequences.

*Yes, real women and children have survived such abuse heroically. But dammit, survival is heroic. Few people come through it acting and looking like Brie Larsen, and what a weird standard for us to implicitly set.

[Renae Coles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Child’s Drawing: One Foot Wrong

Laguna, S. (2008). One Foot Wrong. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.


Being plunged head first into the abstract brain of a young child is a surprisingly exhilarating experience, perfectly captured in Sofie Laguna’s novel One Foot Wrong. This gripping, fictitious tale presents the colourful world of Hester: a young girl trapped in the ridiculous rules of her reclusive religious parents. Readers are invited into Hester’s bizarre world where door handles and wooden spoons become talking friends and where drawings contain the absolute essence of communication. Do not, however, let this lead you into believing this is a light and nonsensical read. Through Hester’s easily delighted and wildly creative mind our hearts are increasingly darkened as we read of the unthinkable abuse she is subjected to by her unstable parents.

‘Turn me Hester,’ handle said.
I stepped closer.
‘I am your friend, turn me.’
‘What is a friend?’ I asked him.
‘A friend gives you pictures,’ he said
I reached out and turned him.
The back door swung open and I stepped out. (p.8)

This novel is exquisitely written. Laguna’s short, potent sentences are quickly devoured with their sparkling originality resonating long after the book has been put down. The innocent questions and conclusions drawn by Hester offer a humorous and refreshing view of the suburban life so rarely questioned post childhood. The detailed scenes of rape, torture and murder inject black ink into this painted world, perhaps ultimately going a little beyond believable. This is the only flaw in this otherwise well constructed novel.

One Foot Wrong is Laguna’s first adult fiction. The Melbourne based author has a background in children’s theatre and has previously written several successful books for children. This wealth of experience has clearly fuelled her realistic portrayal of a child’s perspective. This novel is a compilation of artfully balanced binaries: cruelty and innocence, wonder and horror, darkness and light. Laguna’s words will draw unforgettable pictures in every reader’s mind.

[Magdalena]

One Foot Wrong is a powerful and extremely disturbing novel. It starts off gently, dropping the reader into the lyrical, almost charming narrative of Hester Wakefield. It’s a child’s world, where cats and birds are friends, and inanimate objects such as a spoon, a chair and a broom, communicate warmly. Parents on the other hand, are objectified and kept at a distance wherever possible. The lyricism of Hester’s astonishingly beautiful and myopic voice is constant, even when the plot becomes terrifying and tragic. There are no preambles to the abuse; no softening constructs. The narrative occurs entirely through Hester’s eyes, and they are as wide open and innocent as those of the image on the book's (American) front cover. That innocence doesn’t shield the reader from the abuse and pain she receives at the hands of her parents, known to us as Sack and Boot. They are appropriate names. These two people are clearly the novel's villains. The mental and physical abuse they inflict on their only daughter is shocking, and the fact that it’s depicted delicacy only heightens it.

However, Boot and Sack aren’t only antagonists. They are also victims. It isn’t possible to hate them completely. The come-uppance or moment of Hester’s triumph is as painful as her abuse. There is no catharsis in it, even when the recollection of Hester's abuse is inherent in the objects that take on the guilt:

"Sack pushed down the angry bread with her fingers. I couldn’t get the air past the bread and fingers. The angry bread filled the room with its shouting no no no! Boot came running back into the kitchen. He pulled Sack off and held her by the shoulders. The pink spider turned in tiny circles under her eye. Sack was shaking. Boot told her to have a lie-down upstairs. He gave me water. I drank the water. “I’m afraid you’ll have to stay there until you’ve eaten it all up,” Boot said. I tasted blood.(5)"

That’s one of the milder passages of abuse. Much of it is far, far worse. But as the book progresses, it becomes clear that much of the mental illness lies with Sack and Boot rather than with Hester. In contrast to both parent's chaotic insanity, there is a deep, graceful lucidity in Hester’s perceptions. Although she is forbidden to ever leave the house, and is only allowed to look at two books (she isn’t taught to read), The Abridged Picture Bible and Illustrated Hymns, she develops an almost ecstatic relationship with the world when she slips secretly outside:

"Through the seeing eyes of the flower saw the way dirt moves, each piece up against another, always changing places. The orange flowers wore skirts for the dance of feet passing. The purpose flowers were teacups full of tea that tasted like honey. I put my face up close and took a small sip. I closed my eyes. Blankets of purple, orange, and pink came down over me. (9)"

Hester’s own capability on the home front – her ability to chop wood, clean, and prepare food slavishly - suggests that it is the environment she lives in, rather than a genetic inheritance that has created her perceptions. Not all of Hester's relationships with people are negative. Later in the book Hester is taken to meet her grandmother Mog, and instantly feels comfortable on her lap. There is Mary, a girl that Hester befriends during her brief period at school, and Norma, a fellow inmate at Renton, the institution that Hester later attends. These are supportive relationships that mitigate those of other adults, from the government, to the 'carers' at Renton, and even the kindly teacher at Hester’s school who turns a blind eye when Heather's abuse becomes obvious. Hester’s home life is one of stark fundamentalism. Her diet is heavy and forced down her (as illustrated in the quotation above) by her mother. Her punishments are random and severe, initiated by a drawing; a funny look in the eye; a moment in the sunshine. In Hester’s world the one consistency is that authority, whether it’s the school board, her parents, or even “God the Bird”, is cruel and demanding in mysterious, incoherent ways. Although her retribution and escape is horrible, it possibly does represent an awakening of sorts and there is affirmation in that, though it could hardly be called a happy one.

To say that One Foot Wrong is an intense book would be an understatement. Despite it’s passion and intensity, the reading is fast, propelled by the sense of impending explosion. Something has to happen in this pressure cooked existence. Moments of contrition on the part of Boot and Sack don’t excuse them, but it does help to illuminate the complexity of Laguna's characterisations, and adds to the power of the narrative.

Working out Hester’s age isn’t easy, and there seems to be a disconnect between the school she attends, where kindergarten style activities take place, and the fact that she gets her period and becomes a “woman”. I would guess that Hester is around thirteen, and that perhaps she attends a special school for the mentally disabled, but this isn’t clear, especially as the school body doesn't seem to be prepared to deal with Hester’s circumstances on any level, something that would usually be the case in a special school. This is the one place where the book falters, but so powerful is the narrative, that it's possible to simply ignore the disconnect. Certainly there are shades of dark and light in this novel, but there does come a point where the reader feels that maybe Hester has slipped into a permanent mental chasm – that her abuse has been too damaging for her to ever escape from. Despite the horror of Hester's life - a horror that remains with the reader - there is also a deep sensual beauty. The reader is also left with Hester's sense of joy and freedom in swimming in a river, noticing the life of the natural world: of insects; dappled light; or an “empty, blue sky” that never ends. This is an extraordinary, poetic novel that gives as much as it takes. It may destroy your equanimity, but it will also open a door on perception and understanding.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A painful heart-wrenching book about a little girl, trapped in a world of abuse and her own imagination. Bleak but powerful, with a tiny sliver of redemption.

[Sarah Kallus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hester wird von ihren Eltern zuhause versteckt und eingesperrt, weil sie für sie eine Schande darstellt. Sie putzt, wird bei einem 'Vergehen' im Hängeraum an den Armen aufgehängt, hat nichts als ihre Kinderbibel und Freunde aus dem Haushalt, die zu ihr sprechen, wie Kochlöffel, Tisch, Axt oder Türknauf. Sie darf nicht zur Schule und wird behandelt wie Dreck.
Doch eines Tages wagt sie sich, den Türknauf zu drehen und als dann auch noch jemand vom Jugendamt kommt, um das Kind zu untersuchen und für schultauglich zu erklären, wächst in Hester etwas heran. Der kleine Duft von Freiheit bringt ihr Innerstes in Wallung.

Dieses Buch lag drei Jahre auf meinem SuB, seitdem mein Vater es mir einmal mitgebracht hatte. Ich hatte es sofort geliebt und wusste mit dem Klappentext und den ersten Zeilen, dass es etwas ganz Besonderes für mich sein würde. Doch erst jetzt kam die richtige Zeit dafür und ich habe es natürlich verschlungen. Sofern man dies konnte, denn der Schreibstil ist sehr bildhaft, sehr dicht, atmosphärisch und dichterisch. Es gibt tausende Metaphern und Personalisierungen, aber auf eine unglaublich authentische Weise, die ich sehr zu schätzen wusste.
Sofie Laguna ist für mich eine Wortkünstlerin und sie hat mit ihrer Sprache etwas erschaffen, das ich so noch nie erlebt habe. Es war wundervoll, eine Reise in ein anderes Leben. In Hester hinein, in ihre Gedanken und Gefühle, in ihre Naivität und Dummheit, die von Unwissenheit rührt, weil sie nichts kennt außer ihr Haus und ihre schäbigen Eltern, die sie Sack und Stiefel nennt.

Es war unfassbar, häusliche Gewalt so nah zu erleben, in einer so neuen Art und Weise. In einer Weise, die unterschwellig, so nebenher, beinahe wie ein Märchen klang. Eine erträumte Geschichte, um der Realität ein klein wenig Macht zu nehmen. Um alles ein klein wenig erträglicher zu machen. Und doch schlägt jede Seite - gar jedes Wort - ein wie ein Meteorit.

Wortgewaltig, bildgewaltig, atmosphärisch, beklemmend, traurig, wütend machend, Hoffnung schürend und poetisch kommt dieses kurze Buch daher und es hätte keine weitere Seite gebraucht. In diesen 174 Seiten steckte mehr als in so vielen 500 Seiten Büchern.
Sofie Laguna ist für mich definitiv eine der besten Autorinnen unserer Zeit. Eine wahre Empfehlung von mir.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sofie Laguna is an Australian novelist, this is her first adult fiction book. It's incredibly difficult to relay the emotions that this story evoked for me. The style, the language and the story is unlike anything I've come across before. The nearest comparison, for those that want one, would be Emma Donoghue's 'Room' - if only for the child narrator and the sparse language.
The story starts with Hester as a small girl - an unwanted small girl who is kept in isolation by her fanatical, religious parents. Hester refers to her parents as Boot and Sack - they've made it clear that they never wanted her and have ensured that she knows nothing except life within their own four walls. Hester's language is mechanical and straight to the point - she has never been taught to read but has two religious books that she refers to at all times. Hester's 'friends' are the tree outside her window, the door, the knife, the pot, the axe and the fire. Her only comfort is the family cat - named Cat.
Hester's narrative is hypnotic at times, it is also stark and pulls no punches. There is no lead-in to the incidents of abuse that she describes, they are just occurrences to Hester, so are related in the same, quite emotionless way.
Eventually Hester goes out into the wider world, it is not a success, but whilst out there, she forms a couple of almost normal relationships; with her Grandmother and with another small girl, Mary.
Despite her circumstances, Hester is a joyful character, with every new discovery a big adventure for her. Her parents, however, are cruel and wicked and clearly suffering from mental illness. Her Father has flashes of kindness, followed by incidents of terrible abusive behaviour.
Harrowing, yet sensitive, the story builds up to it's horrific ending - shocking, yet almost inevitable.

[Ruby Tombstone Lives! · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like a book written from an interesting perspective, and this book certainly has that. Told from the point of view of Hester, a girl/young woman growing up in a house with distant, abusive, extremely religious parents, never allowed to interact with the outside world, Laguna uses the language and imagery of a small child trying to make sense of a world she can only guess at. Hester anthropomorphises common household objects to be her only friends. Since all of her questions about the world go unanswered, she pieces together what she has learned from her illustrated bible and rare snatches of conversations, to create stories to explain how things must work.

It's a unique worldview, and it's never really clear how much of Hester's personality is based on this lack of socialisation and abuse, and how much might be based on something she was born with, due supposedly to her mother's age when she conceived. As we only have Hester's insight to go on, it leaves for some interesting speculation about "nature vs nurture".

That said, I never really connected with the character enough to care too deeply about what happened next. I've waivered between 3 and 4 stars on this one, and will split the difference at 3.5 stars!

[Caren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most confronting, disturbing novel I've read this year, the 3rd Sophie Laguna that deals with child abuse. Leaves me wondering what in her life has triggered such an obsession. The narrative warrants the 5 stars as I've not read something so ingenious. The child narrator tries to make sense out of a world she is forbidden to live in by her abusive (not even close to the word I need) and deranged parents. Laguna is expert in her writing with the mind and, particularly, with the unique, stunted language of the child. It's not a book for everyone, for sure, because of its subject, its graphic images, the pain you feel in sync with the child's. But, she can't identify her pain or her identity as we can - thus, we decipher what is happening, what she is seeing and feeling - a lot of work for the reader, much I didn't want to know/see/realise - but, such a writing skill. That's what the five stars are for.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hester was born past her mother's prime child-bearing years, and her mother repeatedly lets her know that she is a curse to her. Exactly what, or even whether anything is truly wrong with Hester is unclear. Her upbringing is at least in part the source of her limitations. The story is narrated by Hester, and the language, and view is both simplistic, yet magical. She interprets everything through what she understands of the bible stories she has been told.

Her parents, who she refers to as Boot (father) and Sack (mother), are very religious, don't send her to school, only allow her a children's illustrated bible, and don't teach her to read and write. Hester is kept, literally, at home. She is not allowed outside the house, and unless the curtains are being washed, she cannot even look out the windows.

Her only relationships, other than those with her parents, are with the family cat, and with inanimate objects that she communicates with, in particular Handle, who can open the door to the yard, Broom who helps her with her chores, and Tree, who reaches to God's Heaven. These companions are her comfort, but they can tempt her to sin: Handle led her out into the backyard one day, allowing her to meet Tree, but leading her to trouble.

Her only activities are serving her parents, mostly her mother, by doing chores: scrubbing on her hands and knees, sweeping, washing dishes, etc.

Hester learns about secrets, those shared between two or three people: the pencil and paper her father allows her when her mother has retreated to her bed, what happens at home when she is forced by the Department of Social Services to go to school, what happens at school, etc. These secrets ferment in her, ultimately leading to both a horrific act, and her freedom.

[Sam (Hissing Potatoes) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. Trigger warning for...almost everything: physical, emotional, and sexual abuse (including from parents), religious extremism, bullying (especially toward intellectual disability), violence, attempted suicide. I appreciated the artistry and intent of the writing, but the final product was incredibly bleak and often didn't flow well or make sense. A lot of the awful things that happened seemed to be included solely to make the main character go through as much horror as possible just for the sake of it, or for the tone of the book, or something. Everything was to such extremes that it seemed unrealistic. This was confirmed by the nonsensical actions of the people around Hester. For some reason, despite the MASSIVE FLASHING UNAMBIGUOUS RED FLAGS Hester gives, no teacher, adult, or doctor in her life calls in authorities. That, more than anything, turned me off from getting anything out of this book.

[Lydia Joyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recommended this book from a friend. It was Poetic. Horrible. Beautiful. Sofie Laguna took a disgusting childhood abuse story and turned it into a terrific storm of words that twisted like tornadoes through my mind. I loved every second. It was a page turner to the end. It was like reading a song. The words would sing through my head.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book purely because I want to read Sofie Laguna's 2017 novel "The Choke" , but with my idiosyncrasy in that I read an author's books in the order they were written, regardless of whether their books link on to one another or not, I needed to start here with her debut novel for adults, "One Foot Wrong" .

This is a book which throws you straight into deep end, with no airs or graces. You are granted a small observation window to look with awe into Hester Wakefield's abstract brain, and explore her tiny world which is governed by her religious parents.
There are some really horrific turns to this book, and they are addressed by the author briskly and unapologetically. Its a writing style I have come to appreciate.

An overall great read and I look forward to reading more from Sofie Laguna.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I was a walking secret that had no sound".
This novel was lyrically and poetically narrated by the central character Hester. Laguna gives the reader the difficult task of hearing the most confronting and mortifying events through the eyes of a much troubled Hester. It is not always easy to follow, nor digest, but there is something so compelling about it. It is terrifying, yet triumphant in possibly the most gruesome conclusion one could imagine.
Definitely a book that I would be very careful to recommend.
"A secret has no sound; it lives in your darkest corner where it sits and waits"

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disturbing but also compelling.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Foot Wrong was captivating and like nothing I have ever read before. Sofie Laguna uses such abstract writing and ideas to enhance this books intrigue, I just couldn't put it down!

[Jessica Morel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrowing and not for the faint hearted. I put off reading this for a while because Sofie always tackles the tough stuff but damn she's an amazing writer. This was amazing.

[Kate Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read anything like this book. Such a unique and beautifully written voice. Yet I could clearly see her world. Hester’s voice... amazing!!!

[Aneets · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really strange and disturbing book that left me with a LOT of questions. However no arguments that it takes a very skilled writer to write a book like this. 3.5 stars.

[Helen Costello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow this was a tough book to read but yet so fast. I just had to keep going to find some solution and hoped so much for a happier ending. Hester is kept captive in her house by her super religious parents who are just awful and abusive. Understandably, Hester’s brain is not the same as it would be, were she allowed a ‘normal’ life.

I can’t say I loved Sofie Laguna’s writing style but I can see that a lot of people would.

There are times of light in this book, some lovely moments of friendship but on the whole just heartbreaking.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 50%. I just couldn't do it. Though I really enjoyed Laguna's The Eye of the Sheep, One Foot Wrong was a bit of a disaster read for me. Don't get me wrong; I like Laguna's writing style and think her narrators all have such unique voices. She excels at writing believable narrators with disabilities, and the ways that they view the world are endlessly fascinating. Though I did like Hester at first, I hated what Hester went through. It just felt so gratuitous how much horror this poor young girl experiences in the book, especially at the hands of her own abusive parents. I found it too disturbing and confronting and I'm glad I stopped reading it, having skimmed ahead and found out what Hester ends up doing to her parents... no thanks... I do advise people to read The Eye of the Sheep instead if they are interested in this author and her writing style, which is experimental and unique, but DO NOT touch this book if you cannot stomach physical/emotional/sexual abuse (including from parents), religious extremism, bullying (especially toward intellectual disability), and attempted suicide.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving and, at times, horrendous, but very well written. The extent of the abuse is both emphasised and concealed by Hester's images and understanding of the situation. The ending was uplifting, although a bit hard to believe, considering what had just taken place.

[Sabrina Log · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book expanded my mind in ways i didn’t know i needed.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

a captivating story

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Highly horrifying book and I'm not sure why I kept reading it. Awful things happen to everyone! Hope to start The Choke soon and hope it's not as yuck!

[Nicole Bell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because I loved The Eye Of The Sheep. The first 75% of this book is a possible 4 stars. I’m not sure I really trusted the voice, it was a very interesting and unique voice, but I’m not sure if I found it completely genuine. Regardless of this I found it unique, and a very interesting story well told. However, the last quarter of the book? Excuse the language but WTAF???!!! I wasn’t expecting happily ever after, and depending on your perspective it could be interpreted as such, but I felt physically ill for hours after I finished reading it. You will understand if you get through it. I was fully prepared to recommend the book for a lot of the time I was reading it but if you’re considering reading it I would say please run away, run far far away. I am currently watching Love Actually on DVD right now to cleanse my brain and to help me believe that there is good in the world again.