Curious if anyone has any recs for books where the protagonists’ family is dysfunctional (fighting, addiction, mental illness, emotional dysfunction) but not necessarily outright physical abuse (like hitting or beating.)
In media that deals with difficult childhoods, I find there’s a lot of outright physical abuse. I think that is an important experience to write about, no doubt.
However I would like to read about family trauma that explores the complexities of a dysfunctional and emotionally turbulent upbringing other than physical abuse.
I think a somewhat good example of what I’m looking for would be the US version of Shameless (although I’d prefer it to be less of a comedy,) but this depiction of dysfunction, cycles of abuse, self sabotaging, mental illness, etc.
Thank you!
by greenpepperseptember
7 Comments
The Dutch House, by Ann Pratchett
Educated by Tara Westover
Robin Hobb’s *Assassin’s Apprentice.* One of the most difficult childhoods I’ve ever read about. Like, holy shit. And relatively little physical abuse, at that.
(No specifics, but if you want to know the types of stuff:) >!His family uses him as a tool, they struggle with addiction, they *introduce* him to said addiction, they manipulate him constantly (while telling him they’re doing so), they throw him to known psychologically abusive tutors like.. twice. They kill each other, they make him kill some of them, they abandon him more than once and tell him to find his way back…!< It’s dark as shit. And somehow it’s truly fantastic.
The Glass Castle, Sharp Objects or The Goldfinch
Liars Club, a memoir by Mary Carr.
White Oleander. Protagonist is the daughter of a narcissistic mother who attempts to murder an ex-lover. She is taken away and lives with a series of foster parents, each of whom are pretty messed up in their own way.
I just finished How to sell a haunted house by Grady hendrix. A dysfunctional family is at the core of the story in a very unsettling way