''My Absolute Darling'' is the 2017 debut novel by American author

Gabriel Tallent In Abrahamic religions ( Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ ...

Plot

Julia "Turtle" Alveston, age fourteen, lives in California with her

sociopathic Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...

father, Martin. He is convinced of impending catastrophe, forcing her to learn survivalist skills. Turtle is thus highly proficient with firearms. The extent of Martin's physical and sexual abuse of Turtle is revealed as the plot progresses, though Turtle's

Stockholm syndrome Stockholm syndrome is a condition in which hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors. It is supposed to result from a rather specific set of circumstances, namely the power imbalances contained in hostage-taking, kidnapping, and ...

cause her to make excuses for his behavior. Although Turtle's teacher suspects the abuse, Martin threatens to kill Turtle if she tells anyone the truth. Turtle meets two teenage boys; they become her first real friends. After Turtle's grandfather, her only other living family, dies, Martin disappears for several months, leaving Turtle to provide for herself. When he returns, he brings a young girl named Cayenne, age nine or ten, whom he took at a gas station. One night, Turtle rebuffs her father's attempted rape by cleaning and loading her gun as he enters her bedroom. The following night she hears him bring Cayenne back to his bedroom instead. Using her shotgun, she blows the lock off his bedroom door, attempting to stop the rape. In the ensuing struggle, Martin nearly strangles her, though she is able to fight him off and escape with Cayenne; she flees to her friend Jacob's house, frightened because her father has the address and might hurt him in retribution. Martin arrives at Jacob's house. In an ensuing firefight where Turtle is shot three times, she manages to kill him, protecting her friends and Cayenne. She then lives with her former teacher, and uses gardening as a means to overcome her trauma.

Reception

Michael Schaub of

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

called the book "difficult to read" in reference to its depictions of child abuse. However, he also stated "it's also nearly impossible to put down", praising its thrilling pace. Schaub also praised the character Turtle, saying she was both memorable and original. Lisa Zeidner of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' wrote that Turtle was impressively complex, particularly in how she simultaneously loved her father and was enraged by him.

Parul Sehgal Parul Sehgal is an American literary critic based in New York, who publishes primarily in American venues. She is a former senior editor and columnist at ''The New York Times Book Review'', and was one of the team of book critics at ''The New Yo ...

for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', however, criticized the character, saying "we're left with...an action hero, a kind of male fantasy figure out of ' Mad Max: Fury Road.' And it’s a fantasy of a wearying sort, because Turtle has clearly been designed to be 'empowering.'"

References

{{reflist 2017 American novels Riverhead Books books Novels about child sexual abuse Fiction about incest 2017 debut novels Fourth Estate books