A Safe Place

A SAFE PLACE is a highly sensitive and thoughtful book about Emily and her mother as they escape to a shelter for abused women and children. In a story that is appropriately understated and gently told, Maxine Trottier acknowledges Emily's complicated feelings of guilt, displacement, and concern for her father. Yet she weaves Emily's fear and sadness with the delicious relief of living in a place where there is no danger or anger, a place where her mother can relax and smile. Friedman's pencil drawings capture the range of emotions experienced by all of the residents of the safe house. A comforting and reassuring book.