It might be cited as a textbook guide to abuse, illustrating the way in which the abuser engineered control by isolating his victim from friends and family, dominating every aspect of her life so that in adulthood she could only describe herself as an empty shell.  He also made her complicit in her abuse: You’re in charge here  …… You can decide.  As a result, Vanessa refused to see herself as a victim.

We found the book well-written and especially admired passages evoking natural scenery.  To sum up, Russell gave us a perceptive and incisive analysis of the ambiguities inherent in abuse.