Phantom Limb by Lucinda Berry
This story is told from the perspective of Elizabeth, who is three minutes younger than her twin sister, Emily. In the opening chapters, we learn about the severe emotional, physical, and sexual abuse the twins endured at the hands of their mother. She was neglectful and absent, often locking the girls in their bedrooms, leaving them to sit in soiled diapers and survive solely on formula until they were between five and seven years old—when they were finally potty-trained and able to eat solid food.
Around that time, the twins were adopted by a compassionate couple who desperately wanted to love and protect a child. As the novel unfolds, it becomes clear that Elizabeth has always been the protector. From their earliest years of abuse and even into adulthood, she shielded Emily as best she could. Elizabeth strives to build a normal life: she works full-time, attends college, and maintains a relationship with her boyfriend. In contrast, Emily struggles deeply with depression and mania. Her emotional highs are extreme, and her lows are devastating. She copes with her trauma through self-harm, revealing the lasting impact their childhood has had on both sisters.
The novel also reveals that Elizabeth copes differently. During the sexual abuse—what her mother’s friends referred to as “the game”—Elizabeth learned to dissociate. She would stare at the ceiling, mentally leaving her body until the abuse was over. As an adult, this dissociation affects her relationships. She dislikes being touched, hugged, or physically intimate, a struggle that becomes evident in her interactions with her boyfriend and her adoptive parents. Elizabeth appears strong and emotionally contained; she rarely shows vulnerability and is committed to therapy, unlike Emily, who resists it.
Tragedy strikes when Emily dies in a car accident that also leaves Elizabeth hospitalized. Elizabeth does not speak for three days after the crash. As she recovers in the hospital, the narrative delves deeper into what truly happened the night of the accident, gradually uncovering buried truths.
Phantom Limb is a heartbreaking story about childhood trauma and its enduring effects—how the body can carry pain and memory even when the mind struggles to fully recall the past.
Messy Minded Momma 