The Rules of Survival

Book: The Rules of Survival
Author: Nancy Werlin
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: When your mother is dangerous and you have no one to go to for help, who do you go to for help?

Matthew’s earliest memory is of his mother, Nikki, smashing one chair after another against the kitchen wall, for no reason. Now he’s thirteen, he has two younger sisters, and the three of them live on constant high alert; say the right thing and go through the motions of being happy and normal, or she’ll snap and instantly she’ll change from loving mother to dangerous monster. Sometimes she hits them, or threatens them with a kitchen knife, or screams at them and says horrible things. Sometimes it’s worse. Matthew tries to protect his sisters by taking her anger on himself, but that doesn’t always work. He knows this isn’t living; this is just surviving, but it’s all he knows how to do.

Then one Saturday night, after he sneaks out while Nikki is off partying, Matthew meets a man-- well, “meets” isn’t the right word. He only makes eye contact for a moment. It’s right after he sees this man stand up to some jerk who’s threatening his own son. The man’s name is Murdoch, and somehow Matthew is convinced that Murdoch can help them, maybe even save them. But he doesn’t know Murdoch’s last name, or anything about him, and Boston is a big city. Even if Matthew can find him, what does he expect one stranger to do when his own father is afraid to get involved? He doesn’t really know, but he can’t let six-year-old Emmy grow up in fear the way he and Callie have. But Nikki is unpredictable and very dangerous; the price of their freedom will be high, and not just for them.

If I could’ve read this book while driving, showering, and sleeping to avoid putting it down, I would have. It’s a gripping, perfectly-paced story about abuse, the good and bad sides of fear, the difference one person can make, and the pain we cause by just standing by.