Eggshell Skull

 

Eggshell Skull, Bri Lee's 2019 debut memoir, is really, really, really good. It's brilliant and clear and terrifying on a number of levels. It draws back the veil on what happens in the world of law courts, judges and lawyers and associates, a world we think we know through courtroom drama, but actually have no idea about (and this book made me profoundly thankful that I shied away from a law career). It demonstrates, in a deeply depressing but ultimately not surprising way, how common is the scourge of domestic violence, violence (almost always) against women and children, in our society, and how difficult it is to fight with the blunt tools of the legal system. And it is also a painfully personal account of Bri Lee's own experience of child sexual abuse and her determination to bring her abuser to justice.

Also, it's as grippingly readable as any thriller. I'm sorry I read Bri Lee's How To Be Smart first, because this book throws quite a bit of light on Lee's past and her issues, which makes more sense of some of aspects of the later book.

Enraging, emotional, highly recommended.