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A throwback book that is reminiscent of the 1970s and 80s regarding a domestic violence shelter, the author takes us through the ups and downs of client issues, violence, politics, feminist viewpoints, and the daily activities of both clients and staff. We follow the lives of the shelter clients and their various issues regarding abusive partners, children, difficulties in leaving the offenders, and substance abuse and mental illness. The conflict, pain, despair, and violence are met with compassion, empowerment, and hope. The shelter employees, including Monica, Paula, Becky, and Nancy, face the dilemma of a new director, Renee, who appears at odds with the feminist, grass roots focus of the agency and who seems to have mental health issues of her own. Renee is unable to cope with the violence that impacts all the women, and the death of a client results in trauma for all. How the employees come together as a sisterhood defines the focus of this feminist, politically savvy novel.
The exploration of the events of a women's shelter is masterfully written by the author who has significant experience working with a shelter as well as other experience in the human service field. The issues demonstrated by the clients are realistic and make the characters come alive. The political culture is dramatically explored regarding feminism, abortion, the culture of violence, and patriarchy, as well as sexism, racism, and others. The use of the power and control wheel, a staple in working with abuse survivors, is expertly utilized to examine the problems regarding the new shelter director. The use of dark humor by the staff is a delightful, sarcastic, and funny focus on how those in the human service field cope with their secondary trauma of listening to stories of tragedy, grief, and pain. While some may feel that this is denigrating clients, those in the field know this is a way to keep from becoming overwhelmed by human suffering. While at times the dialogue is too concrete and formal, and the political agenda can be overwrought, overall this is a book worth reading and can especially help those in this field.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review