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    Childhood Trauma and the Search for Closure

    Guilt, sadness, resentment. Trauma. In childhood, we experience the world as creatures of intensity. Our memories remain clear yet marred, the pain of trauma cutting through all senses in recollection, even as we become adults. Madeleine Thien’s novel, Simple Recipes, recounts the fictional stories of individuals from different backgrounds and locations as they look into their childhoods and relationships in their search for closure. Set in Vancouver, Thien weaves a realistic portrayal of innocence and trust, as well as guilt and sadness, in her characters’ recollection of their traumatic experiences as children. The stories in the book range from childhood disciplinary violence, abandonment to sexual assault and alienation within the…