Come Back: A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Hell and Back Book

This book left me not only disturbed, but also angry. I felt the mother, Claire, made some stunningly bad judgment calls - namely staying with a man she suspected might one day sexually abuse their daughter, Mia, which he did. Claire's reasoning was that he surely wouldn't abuse Mia as a preschooler, when she still had her "piglet" body, though she acknowledged he might in the future. This makes my head spin. I cannot comprehend a situation where I would allow my daughters to be around a man potentially prone to incest, abuse and pedophelia. All I could think while reading of Mia's eventual unraveling was that it should have been prevented. Her mother should never have allowed her to be in an environment where such pain could be inflicted upon her.

It was a heartbreaking story, and I was always rooting for Mia to pull through. I applaud her for telling her story and facing her demons. She is obviously a strong young woman and it takes incredible strength of character to overcome something so insidious.

I was impressed with Claire for working so fervently to help her child when things really turned dark. As a mother of two daughters, I can't comprehend what it would feel like to see my girls go down that path. However, I had little interest in Claire's personal story, as I just couldn't shake being mad at her. I really only cared what happened to Mia. This book stirred strong emotion in me, but I can't say I liked it.