This sprawling narrative follows the story of Astrid from a young tween to 18 after her mother is incarcerated for murder. Fitch's writing is emotional and beautiful, her prose flows hypnotically and left me turning each page with a baited breath. Astrid's life is tragic but real. The foster system is a cruel path for any child to end up in, and 'White Oleander' shows the horrors of mistreatment and abuse that permeate through a person's life. "Hurt people hurt people" was a constant quote bouncing around my brain as I read Fitch's book. Moving, heartbreaking, breathtaking. I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially women-of all walks of life-as, at the end of the day, there is something beautiful about the pain of living, growing, and becoming an adult in a modern world.