The Rake: A Few Scenes from My Childhood

What an intense reading! It jumped around which made it a little confusing but was really powerful.

I can’t imagine growing up in that sort of fear or finding out that your mother had been beaten as a child on a weekly basis. I wonder whether he broke the cycle of abuse. He seemed so devastated when he hurt his sister. It truly makes you look at how abuse can continue within families, when that is the only life that is known. It seems to be thought of as normal. You wonder how many times the table top had to be replaced. How his sister must have felt when her mother called her drama teacher and would not let her be in the play. Or even how they both got through those years of fear, not knowing what would set off their stepfather. It leaves you with lots of questions and wanting answers.

I would definitely like to read some of his other writings, to see if they have the same powerful, intense feel.