So… domestic violence. 
We are all peripherally aware of its unfortunate existence.
Especially when we read truly horrifying news reports like this.
Then we smile and celebrate the triumphs of stories like this.
But when it comes to repeated, cyclical abuse, we tend to,
- Educate ourselves for two hours via the latest Lifetime Original Movie; or
- Be cynical and blame the victim with thoughts such as, “Sure, the abuser is wrong for abusing and all, but the victim should have just left after the first time it happened, right? At least after the second time, for goodness sakes! Just follow the directions here!”
The realities of this ongoing societal plague are oh-so-much-more complex than either of the above sheltered attitudes, which author Swati Avasthi demonstrates in her absorbing debut novel, Split.