the setup…
One man has forever altered the trajectory of three women’s lives. Birdie Chang was 9-years old when she was sexually assaulted by Calvin Boyd, a young man in his twenties. Linzie King was 13-years old when he sexually assaulted her. Mary-Beth Boyd loves her son unconditionally and chooses to blindly make excuses for him, reshaping her own future to support Calvin without question. When Linzie participates in a TV reality dating show, she reveals all during a segment, then later writes a tell-all book that disrupts the lives of all of his victims. Birdie leaves her Brooklyn home she shares with her girlfriend and seeks shelter at the isolated and remote Whidbey Island, Washington. Calvin is later murdered and the focus shifts to identifying his killer.
the heart of the story…
Birdie, Linzie and Mary-Beth deliver the narratives but in a unconventional way. The dialogue delivery feels almost dispassionate, initially disconcerting. Later, I found it hauntingly effective. It is an inside view of the emotional trauma suffered by victims of sexual assault. While they may eventually rise to the level of survivor, there’s no denying the damage. It was hard to digest, at times difficult to continue.
the narration…
Eunice Wong, Christina Moore, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw & Rebecca Lowman comprise the multicast performers. They completely understood the assignment, giving quiet voice to the women in this story. They didn’t get in the way of the writing.
the bottom line…
Make no mistake, this is a hard and disturbing story as it’s from the perspectives of the victims. Throw away everything you think you can imagine about the trauma in the aftermath and widen the circle of victims. The author provides a trigger warnings statement you should read as I won’t reiterate them here. And, the details of the assaults are not explicit. This is an important story, even more so in light of current headlines. It makes me more determined to support the survivors as they seek justice.
Book Info
- Release Date: March 10, 2026
- Narrators: Eunice Wong, Christina Moore, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw & Rebecca Lowman
- Audio Length: 13 hours, 37 minutes
- Publisher: Mariner Books
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Blue Mood Café 
Fab review, Jo. This sounds like a really tough listen!
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Thanks, Nicki💜 It’s one of the hardest to date.
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The emotional impacts just as rough as the physical ones and longer lasting.
Anne – Books of My Heart
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That’s so the truth, Anne💜
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I don’t think this one is for me but I’m glad you enjoyed it Jonetta. A very helpful review.
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Thank you, Jodie💜 Completely understandable.
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Excellent review, Jo. It does sounds like a tough one to read or listen to. I agree, these are stories that need to be heard, to understand what the survivors are feeling.
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Thank you, Carla💜 It was enlightening. I thought I’d imagined the worst for sexual assault victims but I didn’t come close.
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I don’t think you will truly understand unless you’ve been through it, but we can try.
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This sounds fantastic. I’ve seen the cover popping up recently, but hadn’t looked into the story itself. I’ll keep an eye out for it at the library!
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Thanks, Lisa💜 One of my friends put it on my radar weeks ago.
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