Only the Innocent Quotes

“The quiet but inexorable breaking down of self-esteem is much more sinister - it’s violation of the soul.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“She searched her mind for a single day when it had felt good to be alive. There must have been one, surely?”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“Each time he came he would twist my defenceless body into a different pose, as if I were his very own doll”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“I would rather have been with one parent who was genuinely happy than with two who had so many axes to grind you could almost hear them being sharpened.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“When shame is your own, it’s hard enough to bear. When other people are witness to it, it becomes intolerable.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“Today is the day after my wedding. And nothing is the way I expected it to be.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“I once made a film about abuse, and somebody told me that I didn’t understand the subject at all. I now know exactly what she meant. It isn’t just about definable acts of terror, such as physical cruelty or demanding obedience with overt threats. It’s easy to recognise the difference between right and wrong then, even though many abused people don’t act on that knowledge. The quiet but inexorable breaking down of self-esteem is much more sinister—it’s violation of the soul. That’s what Hugo did to me.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“If you’re apologising for your language, Tom, I wouldn’t bother. I myself have a fairly comprehensive range of expletives at my disposal, and I don’t hesitate to use them as you’ve probably gathered. What’s the problem?”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“Buggeration.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“I was unhappy—but it was hard to understand exactly why.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“when somebody appears to be considerate, never raises his voice, and appears to have your every interest in mind, how can that possibly be abuse?”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“Actions and attitudes that would seem normal in most relationships took on a significance of monumental importance and flooded her with hope. But”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“She had been conditioned by then to believe that every problem was a result of her own shortcomings.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“within those first few months I became weaker, and my self-belief was gradually eroded. Perhaps he did know better than I how people should behave. Perhaps I was overreacting to things that were perfectly normal, just because they weren’t what I wanted. The problem was a lack of anything tangible. He always made it seem as if he was putting me first, but what he was actually doing was undermining my every thought.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“a married woman’s lover (a cicisbeo, apparently) used to accompany her with her husband’s blessing to public events and even to church!”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“he”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“what he was up to. I’ll have them tracked”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“the least surprised to hear that she needed to”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“and hating to be an eavesdropper but remembering that”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“He always made it seem as if he was putting me first, but what he was actually doing was undermining my every thought.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“The hollow sensation she felt when she knew without him saying a word that Hugo was displeased, and the disproportionate joy she experienced when he smiled at her with some degree of affection. Actions and attitudes that would seem normal in most relationships took on a significance of monumental importance and flooded her with hope. But the master puppeteer knew just when her desperation point had been reached, and always rewarded her with nothing more than a kind word or a gentle kiss. And of course, over time these moments became rarer and therefore infinitely more precious.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“You have to understand what it’s like when you live with somebody who’s controlling. They’re clever. I don’t know if they plan their every move, or whether it just comes naturally. In Hugo’s case he never shouted, called me names or hit me. If somebody locks you in a cellar for days without water, or gives you a regular black eye, you know without a shadow of a doubt that you are being abused. But when somebody appears to be considerate, never raises their voice and appears to have your every interest in mind, how can that possibly be abuse?”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“It’s strange; people say that when something bad has happened they often wake up feeling fine until realisation hits them. In my experience, it’s the exact opposite. You wake up feeling the pain, but it takes a while to remember what caused it.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“Can you explain to me why people constantly feel ashamed of the actions of people close to them?”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“The art of being a good PA is in anticipating people’s needs, and acting before you’re told to. Most people think it’s about taking orders and executing them efficiently, but they’re wrong. You have to second-guess what’s going to happen, and be prepared.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“The slow relentless destruction of self confidence is something that is impossible to explain”.”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“any evidence of a female member”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“Imogen could also see that this fact hadn’t gone unnoticed by the detective chief”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“her eyes briefly met Laura’s she looked”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent

“don’t you think?”
― Rachel Abbott, Only the Innocent