Ray has deprived her of food in order to maintain her petite frame, dresses her in childlike clothing, rapes her daily, and makes her sit in a chair as punishment when she "misbehaves".

Alice takes trips down to a local playground to monitor the young girls who play there, writing down all her observations in a notebook.

In the assessment of Publishers Weekly, "Scott's prose is spare and damning, relying on suggestive details and their impact on Alice to convey the unimaginable violence she repeatedly experiences.

Disturbing but fascinating, the book exerts an inescapable grip on readers—like Alice, they have virtually no choice but to continue until the conclusion sets them free.

[2][3][4] The novel was also recommended in a range of other fora: In 2024 the book was banned in Texas by the Katy Independent School District on the basis that the novel is "adopting, supporting, or promoting gender fluidity"[13] despite also pronouncing a bullying policy that protects infringements on the rights of the student.