Briefly, Dani’s problems are that she was abused at home by her father. She never felt good enough for him, and the one thing she wanted more than anything was for him to be proud of her for something. He beat the crap out of her, but it didn’t really seem like Dani cared all that much. The physical abuse was nothing compared to the need of him being proud of her.

If I described the climax of the novel in two or three sentences I would say that it was Dani finially started opening up and describing her old life. She described the game, and how it all worked. Dani represented bad, evil. She felt she was bad, and I’m guessing that it because of her father.Dani’s sister, Kelly, represented good, pure. I think this is because Dani’s father didn’t abuse Kelly at all, only Dani. I think this is the climax because after she started accepting the truth, and was able to start to really move on.

This novel fits the theme because Dani’s “safe place” was the game. It was her way of escaping reality. It was a place where it was only her and her sister; no parents, no adults, no abuse.