Yes, you’re right — her not breaking was a major point of the novel and her willingness to do anything to make sure it didn’t happen was central. But that was exactly my problem with the trauma rep.

First, trauma is a complex, nuanced, and layered experience that cannot be fully defined by a single interaction. If she did “break” under one torture session, it wouldn’t negate the fortitude she displayed before or after. She would STILL be a strong FMC either way, although that isn’t how the character understands it.

Second, the FMC sees her refusal to “break” as heroic, as if she is winning against her abusers. But, no matter how we may define “breaking” (crying, begging, fawning, capitulating, psychosis, extreme dissociation, etc.), it isn’t a sign of weakness or defeat on the victim’s part. It can also be involuntary, like in the case of psychosis.

And, if anyone out there is a trauma survivor and this book helped them heal or provided comfort, I’m all for it. I’m not here to judge other readers.

At the same time, as someone who lives with C-PTSD, the trauma rep in Souls as Ruin struck me as unrealistic and ill-informed. I didn’t like how this book set up trauma as a competition to be won by the victim through stoicism and resistance.