I had so many thoughts while reading and am sure I will think about this for a long time. It felt like, in the beginning, Annie was what is seen as the perfect obedient woman. Coded to behave the way many women are taught. Look good, clean around the house, and the main motivation "please your man". Don't disagree. Don't be too smart. Don't be dangerous. Don't tell him what to do. And how even if a woman is all of those things, abusive men will still find something to degrade, humiliate, hurt. There is no way to make an abuser happy. People wont turn around a relationship like that by being everything their partner want. She was built for him, and that still wasn't enough.
The thought that she would stay with him when he set her free. The audacity, that he was such a great guy; and it would be enough for a sentient being to just be a small satellite. And I liked that she did what she could, that she felt her rage, and that she made decisions for herself. She doesn't owe him an explanation.
There were so many small things in there, from him not wanting to talk about feelings in therapy and in general, to just get over it. But just when it mattered to him. He still wanted to show his rage towards her. Expecting her to clean and look nice.
I still wondered why this maybe-Zenith was brought up once and then never again, that felt a bit like a loose end. But apart from that, the book was so good. And painful. Not every abuse is physical. Especially the ups-and-downs were hurtful to read. How she thought that maybe, if she just behaved in the right way, everything will be alright. Because she was wired that way, and he taught her to. "It is your fault you make me angry", etc.
I liked the book and what it symbolizes. The reality of the control that many women face in their so-called relationships but I didn’t like the ending. I didn’t expect her to kill him or have some super wise plan but just wasn’t… very unique? I guess I’ve played way too many games that have this plot so this was a bit boring to me. But the biggest thing that annoyed me is she really goes back to that same house because that’s all she knows… she doesn’t really plan ahead and she still treated Doug with respect at the end bruhhh. I also didn’t like Doug’s little fake redemption. I know this is what abusers do and have seen this first hand, but it just didn’t make the ending really hit for me. I would rate it 3.7/5.
