Guest post written by The Last Caretaker author Jessica Strawser
Jessica Strawser is editor-at-large for Writer’s Digest and the author of popular book club novels, including Almost Missed You, the Book of the Month selection Not That I Could Tell, Forget You Know Me, A Million Reasons Why, and the People magazine pick The Next Thing You Know. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Modern Love, and she is a popular speaker at writing conferences, bookish events, and women’s groups. She lives with her husband and two children in Cincinnati, where she served as 2019 Writer-in-Residence for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
Releasing on December 1, The Last Caretaker is an empowering and harrowing story about a woman in search of a new beginning who is put to the test in ways she never imagined.
I don’t always have a personal connection to the subject matter of my novels: With a background in magazine journalism, I’m not afraid to tackle research-intensive topics I know little about to start. I’ve written fiction about the fraught search for a kidney donor (A Million Reasons Why), the fascinating role of end-of-life doulas (The Next Thing You Know), and even parental kidnapping (Almost Missed You). But when it comes to domestic violence, I found out the hard way that we’re all just one tragedy away from the worst kind of crash course—into warning signs we must have missed.
My favorite novels that draw awareness to this important—and shockingly common—issue don’t merely use an abusive spouse as an antagonist but give meaningful insight into the slow-burn danger of abuse and what it takes to break the cycle. And they do it by being empowering and engaging rather than heavy-handed or depressing.
Two of my own novels feature women on the run, but from entirely different perspectives: Not That I Could Tell, in which a young mom’s neighbors are baffled by her disappearance after a backyard bonfire, and my latest, The Last Caretaker, in which a woman accepts a job as resident caretaker at a nature reserve only to realize her new home doubles as a safehouse for a secret network that helps women in danger escape. Here’s a shortlist of other such page-turners from authors I admire:
Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle
Many readers know Kimberly Belle from her blockbuster The Marriage Lie, but of all her riveting novels, this is my favorite. One woman is finally enacting her carefully laid escape plan, while another has gone missing—and the way their stories twist together is jaw-droppingly clever. The authentic voices of the hunted—and the hunter—will chill you to the bone.
Goodbye Earl by Leesa Cross-Smith
The subtitle, written right on the cover in smashed cherry pie, says it all: This is “A Revenge Novel,” and it’s every bit as irreverent (and dare I say fun) as the “Chicks” song it borrows its title from. Goodbye Earl is a celebration of friendship, tight-knit circles, and how far we’ll go to protect the people we love.
A Light in the Forest by Melissa Payne
Motherhood is at the heart of this story, where a woman flees her abusive husband with little but her baby in her arms—and ends up tracing her own mother’s footsteps back into a past she knows little about. Payne builds a community around her characters while keeping us guessing if they’ll ever feel safe.
Hadley and Grace by Suzanne Redfearn
I adore road trip stories, as well as characters who make unlikely, mismatched pairs. Hadley and Grace has both: Two very different women who find themselves on the run from a common enemy, each with her own reasons—and secrets. There’s a Thelma and Louise quality to this story that I bet you’ll love as much as I do.
The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding
This story begins with an irresistible premise: A homeless woman saves a rich attorney’s wife from throwing herself into the ocean to escape the husband she thinks of as her captor. But if you think you know where this story is going, think again: It’s one of the most twisty books I’ve ever read.
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
It’s not just a woman who goes missing here, it’s a young couple: But the story immediately raises questions of obsession, control, and the reckless nature of any crime of passion. Lisa Jewell masterfully populates her trail of clues with seemingly unrelated characters who are so authentic, you won’t soon forget them.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
There’s a reason Colleen Hoover is dominating the bestseller lists: Her novels are compulsively readable, and this one makes a tough topic accessible and sympathetic, without simplifying a complicated issue. There’s romance, there’s danger—and there’s strength and determination readers will relate to.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
If you haven’t read the book or seen the HBO adaptation, you’re missing out on one of the best ensemble cast stories of domestic abuse where we least expect it—and the shame that keeps it behind closed doors.
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
For the young adult reader in your life, this book is an important and accessible foray into how it all starts. Dessen is wonderful at writing vulnerable teenage characters who find themselves in over their heads, and breaking down perceptions that abusive relationships only happen to “other people.”
Giving the Devil His Due: A Charity Anthology
I confess I’m not an avid short story reader, but I’m including this anthology because of its mission: Proceeds support The Pixel Project global nonprofit to stop gender-based violence. Stories contributed by sixteen award-winning fantasy, science-fiction and horror writers offer different spins on a theme: predators and abusers who “meet their comeuppance in uncanny ways.”
