Tiita’s Daughter is a biographical novella written by Tuutalik Boychuk. It tells the story of Julia, a child and later a woman, who lived through abuse at the hands of her biological parents. In doing so it also shows how Julia was able to stop the cycle of abuse from continuing past her. This was due in large part to being raised by her grandmother, Tiita, during her formative years and the profound influence this left behind. The story is titled Tiita’s daughter because Julia considers Tiita to be her actual mother.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into this story but I will say that it was good. There wasn’t always a lot of details provided and I often felt that it could have been fleshed out more. However, I can also respect the author’s choice to only include what can definitively be verified by interviewing the family. Keeping in mind this is ultimately a story about abuse, the author handled the topic, the events and the people with a surprising amount of dignity and respect. Ultimately, I found it incredibly compelling. While it was at times sad, it was also very moving and uplifting. Reading about how they never let themselves be completely broken and defeated was inspiring. I often wish more people wrote such honest books about such difficult topics. The only thing I did not really like was the notes in parentheses as they were rather distracting. I know footnotes can be difficult to utilize in ebooks but endnotes would probably be a pretty good fit. This book is getting four out of five stars.
Honestly, I would recommend this book to people but I am aware that this is a tricky and sensitive topic that not everyone can handle. Keeping that in mind, I say go ahead and read it but be careful and make sure you are prepared to handle the topic. If you feel up to it then try it. Make sure to let me know what you think in the comments if you do. This book was acquired through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.