History Literature / MySweetAudrina

Seven-year-old [[AlliterativeName Audrina Adele Adare]] lives in isolation in a OldDarkHouse called Whitefern, along with her OverprotectiveDad Damian, beautiful but self-absorbed mother Lucky, [[OldMaid her bitter spinster aunt Ellsbeth]], and Ellsbeth's jealous, spiteful daughter [[TheVamp Vera]]. Audrina suffers from [[LaserGuidedAmnesia a sporadic memory]] and a strange inability to sense time passing, leaving her confused and vulnerable. Her papa forbids her to go to school, make friends, or [[DontGoIntoTheWoods visit the woods behind their house]] where, on a rainy day nine years before Audrina's birth, her adored elder sister ([[LegacyVesselNaming also named Audrina]]) was [[RapeAsBackstory raped and murdered]].

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Vera has one. On the living room sofa. In the middle of the day. In front of Audrina. Who is nine or ten at this point.

->''"So Audrina goes round and round the mulberry bush, wondering exactly how Arden could have known the First and Best Audrina, and space aliens from 20,000 light years away shout, and tiny one-celled organisms deep within prehistoric lakes shout, and you shout, and I shout, and Bastian from ''Film/TheNeverendingStory'' shouts, [[spoiler: "THERE IS ONLY ONE FUCKING AUDRINA, YOU BRAINLESS MORON, AND THAT AUDRINA IS YOU!"'']]
-->-- '''Erin Callahan''', Forever Young Adult's [[http://foreveryoungadult.com/2011/06/10/a-review-of-the-worst-book-in-history/ review]].

''My Sweet Audrina'' is a 1982 novel written by Creator/VCAndrews. The only standalone novel written in her lifetime, it is--depending on who you speak to--either her best book or her worst, with a twist that either knocks readers off their feet or gets guessed in the first twenty pages. Whichever camp you fall into, it is arguably her most sensational and shocking work, dealing extensively and often graphically with rape, mental illness, and disability among many, many other sensitive subjects.

As Audrina grows up, she begins to break away from her papa and her home, but her life is still overshadowed by memories that don't belong to her, memories that threaten to ruin her marriage and destroy her sanity. If she's ever going to live a normal life, she must finally learn [[LockedOutOfTheLoop the terrifying secret that everyone else]][[note]]including the reader[[/note]] [[LockedOutOfTheLoop already knows.]]

* ImpairmentShot: Because the book is written in the first person POV format, the reader can feel just as confused and disoriented as Audrina does [[note]] Thus explaining why there's a substantial number who don't realize the book's big secret until near the end, just like she does [[/note]]
* IncestSubtext: Because it wouldn't be a V.C. Andrews novel without this trope!

* ArcNumber: 9. The First Audrina's birthday is September 9th (the ninth day of the ninth month), and she dies on her ninth birthday. The Second Audrina's birthday is also September 9th and she was born nine years after the First Audrina was killed. Her sister Sylvia is born on Audrina's ninth birthday [[spoiler:while her mother dies that same day]]. All this has led Audrina to be superstitious of any date with a nine in it.

** The First Audrina dies on her ninth birthday.

* DoesntKnowTheirOwnBirthday: Subverted. Much is made of Audrina's birthday and its significance, but no one will tell her what ''their'' birthday or real age is, leading Audrina to observe at one point that "no one's birthday was nearly as important as mine." [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed that this is all part of the gaslighting routine in order to keep Audrina confused about how much time is really passing.]]

* SignificantBirthDate: In universe, much is made that the second Audrina's birthday, September 9th, is the same as her late sister's birthday/death day. It's also the 9th day of the 9th month (see ArcNumber above). It also means her astrological sign is Virgo, the Virgin/Maiden, in a book where the concept of virginity, purity, and innocence is a major theme.

* ChristmasCake: Vera begs Arden to run away to the city with her before they're both too old to enjoy life. After all, they're both ''almost 30.''

* AmbiguousDisorder: Sylvia is clearly developmentally challenged, but we are not told exactly what is wrong with her, and the book strongly implies she may be [[ObfuscatingDisability exaggerating]] (even though it would be difficult for a profoundly mentally disabled child to do this).[[note]]Research indicates that mentally challenged people catch up a bit as they mature, so Sylvia may now understand a few things, and may be able to conceal that she has.[[/note]]

** Sylvia's a rather disturbing child due to her AmbiguousDisorder and being raised in her macabre environment.

* BastardBoyfriend: Arden Lowe treats Audrina very poorly and had cheated on her with Vera more than once.

* AdultFear: One's child being raped. It's especially cruel since it happened the first time Audrina was allowed to walk home by herself and there have been numerous notorious RealLife incidents that happened in the same manner.

* AbusiveParents: Damian and Lucky. Even before [[spoiler: Audrina was raped]], Damian was a father who was satisfied only with being treated with unquestioned obedience and worship. [[spoiler: After the rape, Lucky scrubs Audrina's skin so hard during a scalding hot bath that she bleeds and was the more hysterical parent. She also seems to see Audrina as defiled and impure from then on.}]]

** Both Vera and Audrina have a disturbing amount of this with Damian and arguably with each other as well, doubling as FoeYay or FoeRomanceSubtext.

* TechnicolorEyes: The women of the Adare family have violet eyes to go with their "[[MulticoloredHair chameleon hair]]".

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: This book has some ''very'' unusual hair colors not just from Lucky and the Audrinas' "chameleon hair" (see KaleidoscopeHair) but Vera is described as having "apricot" hair (a light yellowish-orange) to signify her EvilRedhead status.

* AbusiveParents: Damian and Lucky. Even before [[spoiler: Audrina was raped]], Damian was a father who was satisfied only with being treated with unquestioned obedience and worship. [[spoiler: After the rape, Lucky scrubs Audrina's skin so hard during a scalding hot bath that she bleeds and was the more hysterical parent. She also seems to see Audrina as defiled and impure from then on until the {{Gaslighting}}]]

* TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: One of Vera's final taunts to Audrina as she leaves her to die is to reveal that she's been drugging Audrina's tea to keep her in an apathetic state (and presumably allow her to move in on Arden).

** [[spoiler:Audrina is on the verge of leaving Damian and Arden forever and starting her own life when she is overcome with guilt and goes back to them in the very last paragraph. Mind that the guilt isn't so much what Arden or Damian will do without her, but not wanting to [[AbandonTheDisabled Sylvia]].

** [[spoiler:Audrina is on the verge of leaving Damian and Arden forever and starting her own life when she is overcome with guilt and goes back to them in the very last paragraph.]]

* TheAlcoholic: Lucky.

Trapped in the walls of Whitefern, helpless in the hands of her family, and oh so young and trusting, Audrina is forced to sit in the First and Best Audrina's rocking chair until she absorbs her [[GhostMemory memories and talents]] so that [[ReplacementGoldfish Papa will loved her as much as he loved the First Audrina]].

Trapped in the walls of Whitefern, helpless in the hands of her family, and oh so young and trusting, Audrina is forced to sit in the First and Best Audrina's rocking chair until she absorbs all her memories [[GhostMemory memories]] in hopes of becoming [[ReplacementGoldfish as loving, as special, as perfect, as her dead sister]].

Trapped in the walls of Whitefern, helpless in the hands of her family, and oh so young and trusting, Audrina is forced to sit in her sister's rocking chair until she absorbs all the First and Best Audrina's [[GhostMemory memories]] in hopes of becoming [[ReplacementGoldfish as loving and special as her dead sister]].

Seven-year-old [[AlliterativeName Audrina Adele Adare]] lives in isolation in a OldDarkHouse with her OverprotectiveDad Damian, beautiful but self-centered mother Lucky, [[OldMaid bitter Aunt Ellsbeth]] and Ellsbeth's jealous, spiteful daughter [[TheVamp Vera]]. Audrina suffers from [[LaserGuidedAmnesia a sporadic memory]] and a strange inability to sense time passing, leaving her confused and vulnerable. Her papa forbids her to go to school, make friends, or [[DontGoIntoTheWoods visit the woods behind their house]] where nine years before Audrina's birth, her adored elder sister ([[LegacyVesselNaming also named Audrina]]) was [[RapeAsBackstory raped and murdered]]. Audrina is forced to sit in her sister's rocking chair until she absorbs all the First and Best Audrina's [[GhostMemory memories]] in hopes of becoming [[ReplacementGoldfish as loving and special as her dead sister]].

''My Sweet Audrina'' is a 1982 novel written by Creator/VCAndrews. The only standalone novel written in her lifetime, it is--depending on who you speak to--either her best book or her worst, with a twist that either knocks readers off their feet or gets guessed in the first twenty pages. Whichever camp you fall into, it is arguably her most sensational and shocking work, dealing extensively and often graphically with rape, mental illness, and disability among many, many other sensitive subjects. A ghostwritten sequel, ''Literature/{{Whitefern}}'', which continued the story of Audrina as an adult, was published in 2016.

''My Sweet Audrina'' was adapted as a MadeForTvMovie for the Lifetime Network in 2016.

* IncestSubtext: (Because it wouldn't be a V.C. Andrews novel without this trope!) Both Vera and Audrina have a disturbing amount of this with Damian and arguably with each other as well, doubling as FoeYay or FoeRomanceSubtext.