CN: violence and sexual assault.

This is a low rating for me as someone who likes some of Faber’s other work. I think it is beautifully written like all his stuff but I found it ... problematic. There is a weird way of framing a teacher getting shot in the head by an abusive partner before her primary school class. Later on, a woman (in a dream) listening to a burglar says “At least, he didn’t rape me” and then takes enjoyment in being robbed and walks around her freshly plundered house naked. It is not meant to be a “real depiction of trauma” because the dream is part of something else but again... it felt unnecessary and jarring in a way of showing disjunction and emotional turmoil manifested. Perhaps I’ve missed the point but having looked forward to this very much, I put it down incredibly fast.