Madwoman

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, graphic violence, child abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, suicidal ideation, and mental illness.

Before her and her mother’s final attempt to escape, Clove’s father had gone to a support group. He’d meant to attend Anger Management but made a mistake and wound up at a Battered Men’s meeting. The story he told at this meeting was later used in court as evidence to convict Clove’s mother of murdering him.

After he attended the meeting, Clove found the pamphlet in his glove box and discussed it with her mother. They both felt hopeful, as they planned on escaping from him later in the week, heading as far as New York City to prevent him from tracking them down. On the day they planned, Clove’s mother’s friend picked them up from the apartment and dropped them off at a secret house on the North Shore to hide them.

They hid for a week at the house, watching movies and waiting for the moment to catch a flight. Clove’s mother continually entreated her to remember the good qualities of her father. Clove placated her mother but internally was already trying to distance herself from the memories as much as she could.