Jessica Knoll

At first glance, 28-year-old Ani appears to have a perfect life. She works as an editor at a glamorous New York City women's magazine and has a loving fiancé from a wealthy family. Yet Ani also hides a secret – as a teenager, she underwent a series of horrifying and emotionally crippling events, including a school shooting, that have continued to impact her well into her adult years. During the course of the novel, it is revealed Ani was gang raped when she was 14. She tried reaching out for help after the assault, but was subjected to cruel bullying and taunts by her peers, who did not believe her. As the story progresses, Ani begins to question whether she is truly happy with who she has become, and if her current life is the one she wants and needs.
While writing the novel, Knoll drew upon her own experiences of being gang raped and bullied as a teenager. Knoll did not initially make…