Bad Fruit by Ella King

I have to be a little careful about reviewing or even rating this book. It is not one that I personally enjoyed content-wise, but there are many ‘buts’. It is a book that delivers its promise of how the content will be. Once again, I might have been a little lax at looking at the synopsis/blurb. Dysfunctional families come in various sizes and shapes, some can be fun to read about, and others (like this one) are pretty horrific. All the more potent because of the writing and the possibility of such things actually happening is high. Lily is the third child, the only daughter left at home, the one who feels her mother is dependent on her while the other siblings have fled the roost to lead dysfunctional lives elsewhere. The author introduces the life our protagonist leads and the atrocities that she brushes away as her life in drips and bits, just like the flashes that Lily keeps having about her mother’s childhood. No one is good in this book, except for maybe one couple who rescue Lily, although we are given hints as to the longevity of the escape. May, the mother, the foundational issue is terrifying. I may have felt sorry for her at some stage, but by the time the book finished, I did not. This is the kind of book that I move past quickly, although I know there are people out there who would appreciate this experience more. The shock value is high, but I could not put the book down. This latter point is the main reason for me rating the book the way I am. The writing kept me hooked to every next car crash (literal and figurative). It is one that I will not recollect (or try not to) once I post this review, but I think people who do read about dysfunction at its peak often will get along better with this book. I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.