The Young of Other Animals

After she’s assaulted, college student Paula copes with her fear, while her mom, Mayree, grapples with depression and bitterness—her husband died of a heart attack in his secretary’s bed. Together, Paula and Mayree decide to put the assault behind them; but when aggressions continue, they try to figure out who is threatening them. Set in the 1980s before DNA evidence was reliable, and before attitudes toward victims were reformed, this novel uses these obstacles to create a sense of hopelessness for Paula and Mayree, who has also experienced an assault. A bleak tone pervades the first half of the book, due to Paula’s anxiety and Mayree’s bitter outlook, but that changes in the suspenseful second half as the pace picks up (although letters from an anonymous son to his mother interrupt rather than help the flow). However, Cander’s (A Gracious Neighbor) fourth novel gets a welcome upswing in mood by the end.