The Killing Closet by V.L. Brunskill recounts the author's turbulent childhood marked by abuse and trauma. Raised by adoptive parents, Joe and Lillian, Brunskill reflects on her father's volatile nature, deceit, and abusive behavior toward her mother. Despite hardships, including multiple miscarriages and rejection due to their marriage, Joe and Lillian adopt a baby girl, Vicki-Lynn, the author. Enduring their father's abuse together, Vicki and her brother Peter find solace in each other's company. After leaving the abusive household, the family faces homelessness and legal battles with their father. Despite attempts at reconciliation, Vicki maintains boundaries, coming to terms with her father's transgender identity, Joann. Reflecting on Joann's death, Vicki finds closure and emphasizes the importance of faith in overcoming adversity.

The Killing Closet by V.L. Brunskill is a courageous memoir that is often difficult to read but is also occasionally uplifted by moments of happiness. We know that Vicki, the author, has survived to tell her story and this is what keeps us turning the pages, along with her raw and honest writing style that comes across as conversational, like talking to a dear friend. I did get choked up a lot, and one memory that Brunskill describes made me physically ill, but the strength that Vicki has, when she should not have the burden of shouldering it, is remarkable. There are as many different types of trauma as there are therapies to try to soften the pain of them, and I think that, regardless of what the individual wounds look like, it is books like Brunskill's that show us there is light at the end of the tunnel. I'm just so sorry she was in the tunnel, to begin with. Very highly recommended.

The Killing Closet is the harrowing true story of author V.L. Brunskill’s childhood and life, surviving the worst of parental abuse from her father. Growing up in Long Island, New York, where author Vicki-Lynn and her brother Peter were both adopted as infants into the Selbach family, early childhood memories of a loving, fun, playful father soon turn to horror as Jo Selbach begins to reveal his short temper and true violent nature to the children’s mother as well as to them. Trying to defend her mother and brother for almost a decade from her father’s anger, Vicki-Lynn even contemplates the possibility of murdering her father to escape the horrors. Finally, as things spiral out of control, her mother seeks sanctuary at a domestic abuse shelter and they begin to rebuild a life of normalcy and safety. Years later, Vicki-Lynn discovers the gender secret her adopted father was hiding all his life that might begin to explain his anger at the world and life, and by proxy at those he was supposed to love and care for. Finally, after many years of confusion and hatred, it takes the death of Jo Selbach for Vicki-Lynn to fully come to terms with the journey she has been on.

The Killing Closet is raw, emotional, and incredibly powerful. Author V.L. Brunskill has superbly conveyed the feelings of a little girl when the person who is supposed to be her protector and hero turns out instead to be a violent monster. One can only speculate about the things that happened within her mind to see murdering her father as the only solution to rid the family of pain and suffering. I particularly appreciated how mature and confident this young girl was to be able to take control of the situation and deal with it, without totally falling apart. The relationship between Vicki-Lynn and her brother Peter, given that they were both adopted and not blood-related, was especially close, even more so because she appointed herself as his protector from her father’s worst excesses. It was easy to understand her anger and indeed hatred toward her father but I was equally moved by her ability to recognize, later in life, the stresses that her father faced over his sexuality and his need to express himself in a dominant, macho manner, which for him took the form of anger and violence. Although forgiveness was always going to be difficult, she was at least able to understand more of her father’s state of mind. The most poignant part of the story arrives at the end, where the author sums up her feelings with the statement: “All that remains of my father are wishes.” That she was finally able to come to terms with the man who was her father is a testament to the author’s courage and perseverance, something which shines from every page of this memoir. This is a memorable story that will linger long in my mind. I can highly recommend this read.