The Ugliest Word

Child rape at the hands of a parent is a topic so taboo, victims feel debilitating life-long shame and rarely speak up. This novel speaks up.

The Ugliest Word tells the story of a little girl named Lark whose father is molesting her, as she navigates childhood, and the woman she becomes. An aspiring writer and artist, Lark's spunk and creativity buoy her as the abuse progresses. Lacking other confidantes, Lark befriends Glassman, a mysterious character who collects glass bottles from the alley and leaves special gifts at a loose board in Lark's fence. As a grown woman, Lark learns to cope with her past abuse by talking on an international phone conference line for incest victims. Her healing is disrupted when she receives word that her father is dying.

Maybe he'll apologize. A death-bed confession. Maybe she'll forgive him.

But maybe she won't.

The Ugliest Word is for anyone who has survived childhood incest, and for everyone who loves a survivor, is friends with or works with one.