BULLY

In this debut novel, a woman suffers for years during and long after a co-worker’s cruel and relentless bullying.

Sarah, a Turkish woman born and raised outside of Melbourne, Australia, hasn’t had any close relationships with good, stable men. Her father was violent and abusive, and most guys she’s known, including romantic interests, haven’t been great. So when she gets a promotion at a corporate call center, she’s understandably leery of fellow agent Kieran, especially since he and another employee ostracize Sarah. When Kieran suddenly becomes friendly, chatting with her and telling stories, Sarah starts to fall for him. Kieran abruptly changes again—this time for the worse. He insults her, sparks an awful rumor about her, and indirectly threatens her, talking about his “secret bunker” where he could easily kill someone. Even when Sarah no longer works at the call center, Kieran appears to stalk her. Years later, he’s apparently remorseful, but does Sarah trust this man enough to meet with him? Aurorae’s novel capably portrays the devastating, lasting consequences of workplace intimidation. Sarah, for example, endures mental anguish as well as physical (weight loss, chest pain, etc.). It’s a slow but engrossing character study in which Sarah details her woeful life; as a teen, she feels out of place both with her Turkish family and among kids at school. At the same time, enigmatic Kieran has “trouble expressing himself,” a euphemism used to describe the animosity that fuels most bullies. The rest of the cast largely fades in the background; a couple of memorable characters (Sarah’s bestie Aylin and her friend/co-worker Noah) get disappointingly few pages. All the while, the author’s crisp prose moves fluidly between the present day and Sarah’s past and from the workplace to a serious accident that the story teases early on.

A measured, remarkable story that depicts the effects of harassment.