Novels About Survivors of Abuse

[Dark Muse]

I know these might be somewhat specific preferences so I don't know if there will be a lot out there that meets these specifications but I figure it is worth putting out there because I usually always get intersting recommendations from my fellow Litnetters.

I am interseted in novels about survivors of child abuse, perferably focusing on the individual as an adult after the fact. I am open to pretty much most genres,

Also somewhat differnt but related I am interested in novels, that are not too romancy or chick-lit like, about women who have survived abusive relationships either physical or emotional abuse. Extra points for books that do deal with emotional/psychological abuse because they are probably more obsecure to come by.

[waltzinmathilda]

the protagonist of Doris Lessing's The Grass is Singing was sexually abused by her father, if I remember well. Even though it is a precious piece of information that helps the reader better understand the character and her choices, it is hardly the main focus of the novel, so I'm not sure this will help you. I'm trying to think of other novels that thematize child abuse (well, The Bluest Eye is one, but it doesn't follow the character into adulthood..) but nothing comes to mind.

[Iain Sparrow]

You said any genre so perhaps this recommendation won't seem like it's totally coming from left field... Abarat: Days of Magic, Night of War, by Clive Barker. It's the second book of the series, and you need not read the first or for that matter read the follow up sequel. Also, it is YA fiction... but I'm way older than YA and I enjoyed the heck out of it.
The protagonist, one Candy Quackenbush, is a very normal teenager drawn into a very curious adventure set in a parallel world that sometimes collides with our own world. Candy has a background of abuse at the hands of her father, and because the story is meant for a young audience, some of that abuse is ambiguous, that is besides the obvious mental and physical abuse there might have been abuse of a sexual nature. The abuse very much colors the way in which Candy approaches the adventure, and how she relates to these strange people and creatures in Abarat.

[Dark Muse]

You said any genre so perhaps this recommendation won't seem like it's totally coming from left field... Abarat: Days of Magic, Night of War, by Clive Barker. It's the second book of the series, and you need not read the first or for that matter read the follow up sequel. Also, it is YA fiction... but I'm way older than YA and I enjoyed the heck out of it.
The protagonist, one Candy Quackenbush, is a very normal teenager drawn into a very curious adventure set in a parallel world that sometimes collides with our own world. Candy has a background of abuse at the hands of her father, and because the story is meant for a young audience, some of that abuse is ambiguous, that is besides the obvious mental and physical abuse there might have been abuse of a sexual nature. The abuse very much colors the way in which Candy approaches the adventure, and how she relates to these strange people and creatures in Abarat.

I actually do have the first book of the series on my to read list. I thnk it was recomeneded to me on another thread I posted here a while back.

[YesNo]

This probably is not what you want, but it seems that the Harry Potter novels would fit the category. He was abused as an infant by Voldemort and then by his relatives as he was growing up. The story starts after setting that stage.

[Dark Muse]

This probably is not what you want, but it seems that the Harry Potter novels would fit the category. He was abused as an infant by Voldemort and then by his relatives as he was growing up. The story starts after setting that stage.

Haha yes that is true. My sister pressured me into reading the books because she wanted someone to discuss them with but I gave up in the middle of the third book.