Lady God

When I read this novel, I was so pleased to finally find a book on mother-daughter incest. Landy, the main character, struggles with the sexual abuse that was inflicted upon her by her mother. This trauma affects all aspects of Landy's life. Luders focuses on the emotional and social repercussions, especially in her difficulty in maintaining a romantic relationship. Luders does an excellent job in describing the "merging" of the abuser and the abused, as Landy's sense of self becomes blurred and confused.

This book is rare in that it deals with mother/daughter incest, a subject seldom written about.I tend to think mother/daughter incest is perhaps rarer than other types of incest, but it is no less damaging, as we see when we explore the life of the narrating character, Alexandra, also called "Landy."Landy and her mother, Lizzie,created a world of their own in the northwest mountains of Washington state. Lizzie's own exposure to early domestic violence was almost beyond human endurance.The author explores the subject well, showing how Landy struggles to fit into normal, everyday life, and the confusion created by the relationship with her mother.Landy's journey out of the nightmare of a drunken father and an unstable mother are aided by her friendship with a young lesbian woman, Claire.

Powerful and beautifully written... I would love to read more from this author.