If you happen to pick up this book: brace yourself. It's a raw tale about self-destruction to dull a more violent and deeper pain. It's sometimes sordid but there are moments of heart.

Marie is not a relatable (or as many people are saying "likable") character in terms of her actions, but damn if I didn't feel for her time and again. I get her. I understand. Yet Tierce does not sentimentalize anything, and many readers may be turned off by this. It's brutal and bleak, but life isn't always rosy and it never ties up in a nice bow by the end. Marie figured that out pretty early on in her life.

It took me a bit to get into the rhythm of the structure of the novel, but I got there. The writing is precise and cutting, but it does veer into detail occasionally and feels a little uneven when doing so. Overall, I found this novel fascinating.