Family Violence

Adichie, Chimamba Ngozi. Purple hibiscus
When Nigeria begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili's father, involved in mysterious ways with the unfolding political crisis, sends Kambili and her brother away to their aunt's. Here she discovers love and a life - dangerous and heathen - beyond the confines of her father's authority.
Anderson-Dargatz, Gail. The cure for death by lightning
Ashworth, Andrea. Once in a house on fire
The death of Andrea Ashworth's father brought a dramatic change in her five-year-old life: violent stepfathers; an itinerant childhood; and emigration to Canada. This book is a memoir of a child's resistance to the cruelty of her surroundings and evokes the north of England of the 1970s. And it is a graceful and moving account of how a child chose to look at things in a particular way.
Cassidy, Cathy. Indigo blue
In a dingy old flat with a grumpy neighbour, no heating and only biscuits to eat, Indie begins to realize that her mum's got a reason for running away. A secret no one can admit...
Cross, Ian. The God boy
Set in a small town in New Zealand, this story is told through the eyes of a gauche 13-year-old boy called Jimmy Sullivan. It is the haunting tale of a young boy growing up in a Catholic household, seeing things he shouldn't and struggling to cope.
Doyle, Roddy. The woman who walked into doors
Duff, Alan. Once were warriors
Fredriksson, Marianne. Elisabeth's daughter
A novel that explores how personalities are shaped by experience; the deep bonds between mothers and daughters; and how we can only grow through our relationships with others.
Gardner, Lisa. Alone
When Bobby Dodge, a sniper with the elite Massachusetts State Police SWAT Team, saves a woman and her young son from her armed husband, he finds himself confronted by vicious rumours and a legal minefield, as he investigates the shooting of a man who had been the son of a prominent Boston judge and had accused his wife of poisoning their son.
Gibbons, Alan. The edge
Horwood, William. The boy with no shoes
"The Boy With No Shoes" is struggling to exist in 1950s seaside Kent. His father is an abstract memory, his brother has been hollowed by abuse, at school he must face the soul-destroying Captain Flax and at home his mother has been washed away by family secrets.
Hulme, Keri. The bone people
Ihimaera, Witi. Big brother, little sister
This is a short story, in "Ihimaera: his best stories".
Iles, Greg. Third degree
A tale spanning a traumatic single day follows Liz Pike, who awakens in her small-town home to discover her husband frantically preparing for what he claims is an IRS audit, but she soon realises that he has discovered the truth about her affair with another man.
Klass, David. You don't know me
Oates, Joyce Carol. Freaky green eyes
Fifteen-year-old Frankie relates the events of the year leading upto her mother's mysterious disappearance and her own struggle to discover and accept the truth about her parents' relationship.
Steel, Danielle. Malice
Wilson, Jacqueline. Lola Rose
When Jayni, her mum and little brother have to run away from her abusive father, it starts off as an adventure. They slip out at night, go up to London and stay in a hotel, and even make up false identities. But when the money runs out and reality bites, is it still a game they should play?