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 this public knowledge while promoting the hardcover book, at first telling fans she based the rape and aftermath on stories she had heard from others. In March 2016, Knoll wrote an essay for the online feminist newsletter Lenny Letter, describing her experiences as a rape survivor. She further stated that she came forward after interacting with several fellow rape survivors at book signings. She said:
Knoll later stated in an interview that she "was so conditioned not to talk about it that it didn't even occur to [her] to be forthcoming".

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