It's been several years since I read this book, when I first read it in my late teens it really helped me a lot by allowing me to understand that the bullying I got from my "friend" group was toxic and traumatizing and wrong. It was not until I read this book that I stopped having nightmares about my bully, who was aptly named Karen. I really identified with how the adults around the protagonist could not seem to grasp what was happening, and how it affected her life for so long. That scene where she's trapped in the gorge.....devastating. I love Margaret Atwood but her books are depressing. Try Anne Tyler, she's a lot more uplifting.