House Rules, by Rachel Sontag: Book #14 in 2008

Rachel Sontag grew up with a father who controlled and abused her family in ways one couldn't even dream of making up. He tape-recorded Rachel's phone conversations, made her write apology letters to him for her very existence, told her he wished she'd never been born, and yet, somehow, because it was clear she was the center of his world - made her feel special and loved.

Sontag explains in her "thank yous" that she realizes this book is incredibly personal and that she is sharing family "secrets," but says - She couldn't live with herself unless she wrote it.

Maybe it's because, as a non-fiction writer, I can wholly relate to that sentiment - the idea that there's a story in you that absolutely must be told - or maybe it's just because Sontag lived through - and survived - one of the worst types of abuse - but I could not put this book down and I highly recommend you pick it up this riveting memoir by this first-time author.

House Rules: A Memoir

Rachel Sontag