In the Balance - Patricia Wentworth

In the Balance by Patricia Wentworth


This was a chilling story of emotional abuse. If you've been in an emotionally abusive relationship, you might want to steer clear. It affected me a lot. If you've ever wondered why people stay with partners who abuse them, this might give you some idea. There's lots of lies, gaslighting, manipulation.

I'm sure a lot of people might think the victim is too passive, trusting, etc. Perhaps she is, but a big part of that is the confusing situation she finds herself in. I found it far too realistic, way too close for comfort. I'm not talking about the more obvious traumatic situations like almost getting killed. I'm talking about the much more subtle undermining that occurs in ordinary, everyday events like eating breakfast. And the way that you grasp at any sliver of positive to believe that everything's not so bad. Wentworth captures the paralysis you feel when you're the object of this kind of abuse and can't even trust your own feelings or judgement. Disturbing, and very real.