Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐-(5/5)
In Allan Davis’s book, Ten Eighty, Emma, Renata, and Katria are the three daughters of Ivan Boscov, a Russian immigrant who runs a pest control business in Toronto and writes diet books, hoping to make it big and leave the pest control business. Ivan's wife, Sarah, dies from an apparent heart attack, but his youngest daughter, Katria, believes she died because she was forced to eat pesticide-containing concoctions. Ivan was an abusive man to his wife and his daughters. His mother and his sister, Gizla were also abusive to the girls, locking them in a cold storage room at every opportunity they could find. The girls struggle with this as adults. They grew up hating their father, his mother, and their aunt. The death of their mother was their breaking point, how could they possibly cope?
The book deals with a very sensitive topic, abuse, in particular child abuse, and its damaging effects on its victims. The book showcases these effects through Katria’s battle with depression and her hallucinations. Renata’s inability to trust people and unwillingness to seek help as she spirals down a destructive path. The author handles this topic expertly, showing all the sides there are to abuse, even the abuser's side. The way the author tackled such a sensitive topic without making the book dull or depressing is commendable. Their book is neither daunting nor boring, the writing is exquisite, and the jokes never distract from the serious subject.
I had a good time reading this book, and I can’t think of any part that could be better. In my opinion, this book gets an easy 5 out of 5 rating. Lovers of mystery books will enjoy this one. Those curious about the effects of child abuse on adults should most definitely give this book a try, I’m sure they will have no regrets. Happy reading!
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