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Back The Favorite Daughter Save as PDF
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Booklist
  4. Dedication
  5. Quote
  6. SUNDAY
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. MONDAY
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. TUESDAY
  16. 8
  17. 9
  18. 10
  19. 11
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. WEDNESDAY
  25. 16
  26. 17
  27. 18
  28. 19
  29. 20
  30. 21
  31. 22
  32. 23
  33. 24
  34. 25
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. THURSDAY
  45. 35
  46. 36
  47. 37
  48. 38
  49. 39
  50. 40
  51. 41
  52. 42
  53. EPILOGUE
  54. DEAR READER LETTER
  55. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  56. READERS GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  57. Best Day Ever

A special, terrifying subset of narcissist are those called “malignant narcissists.” Erich Fromm first coined the term in 1964 to describe the “quintessence of evil.” Some of the most difficult narcissists to spot are malignant narcissists who are mothers. She often gets away with her abuse because she is unseen to all but those she controls, her children, and no one wants to imagine a mother could be the monster in her own home.

No one wants to imagine that, except as a starting point for a novel, perhaps.

I asked my friend Laura if therapy works with narcissists. Her answer: It’s a pretty tough one to fix because they cannot see themselves for who they are and cannot take responsibility. When things go wrong they blame other people, so therapy is tough. They aren’t motivated to change. They like themselves just the way they are.

I hope you enjoyed Jane’s story. She wants you to believe she is the perfect mother, a loving wife, a connected and compassionate member of her community. Did she convince you? And who is her favorite daughter?

Thanks for reading,

Kaira

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to you, the reader, who makes this job of my dreams a reality. I hope you enjoyed the story.

To the book clubs, book bloggers, reviewers, bookstagrammers and Facebook groups—across the globe—who support authors like me, thank you. Your words and stunning photos provide the energy books need to make it into readers’ hands.

Thank you to my team at Graydon House, Harlequin and HarperCollins. It has been an unbelievable honor to bring this new imprint to life with you. A special shout-out to my editors, Margo Lipschultz, Melanie Fried, Charlotte Mursell and, especially, Michele Bidelspach: sometimes it takes a village. This book did! My heartfelt thanks, too, to Lisa Wray for her thoughtful guidance and support. And to Katie Shea Boutillier for making this possible.

Special thanks to Andrea Katz, Nancy Stopper, AnnMarie Nieves, and to my beta readers Elizabeth Paulsen, Tijana Hamilton and Melissa Cavanaugh. To my husband, Harley: I couldn’t do this without you and I’m so proud of you for being the change.

And, finally, a note to anyone wondering if it’s too late to pursue the life of your dreams: it’s not. Go for it. Only you have the power to make your dreams come true. This book is one of mine. And for that, I’m so grateful.

READERS GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS