The book cover
Poppy needs you.
She's always needed you.
She'll never let you go.
— From the Author's Website
Leaving Poppy is a 2006 young adult horror-thriller novel by Kate Cann.
Divided into three parts and mostly told in flashbacks, the novel details the life of a girl named Amber, her mother, and her little sister the titular Poppy.
At some point, when she becomes old enough, Amber strikes out on her own, getting away from her mother and Poppy. At first, things are ok but the good times don't last and Amber gets sick and her mother, with Poppy in tow, come to take care of her. However, something in the house makes it clear about how it feels about Poppy (and it isn't nice) and Amber wonders if she'll ever escape.
Tropes for Leaving Poppy:
- Because You Can Cope: Poppy and Amber's mother claims that Poppy is "fragile" and guilt trips the latter into bowing to her younger sister's demands. Case in point is when Amber is due to go on holiday, Poppy throws a fit, and their mother pleads with Amber to cancel, claiming that she'll have plenty of other opportunities to go on holiday while Poppy will not — and that while cancelling her holiday will be tough on Amber, Poppy (and their mother) will be even worse off if she doesn't, so Amber should be the one to make the sacrifice.
- Domestic Abuse: Poppy is an emotional version of this. She controls the lives of her family with her tantrums and aggression, throwing fits and guilt tripping when she doesn't have her way.
- Doting Parent: Poppy and Amber's mother is this a bit too much to the former, often enabling the former to act the way that she does.
- Dysfunctional Family: It's best to describe Amber's family situation as this. The fact that she had to lie just to get away from her mother and Poppy spells it out for the readers.
- Ironic Name: A Floral Theme Naming version with Poppy. The flower has the connection with "sacrifices", which she never does for anyone else, instead, Amber and her mother have to sacrifice things for her.
- It's All About Me: Poppy acts like this by default. She throws tantrums if she doesn't get her way.
- Jerkass: Poppy's character can be summed up as this, as she throws tantrums and acts passive aggressively to get her way. Oh, and there's the incident of her hurting another girl for no reason.
- Vague Age: Its not said how old the characters are but Amber is old enough to move out on her own.
- Yandere: Poppy, goin' by the quote from the author's website. Poppy don't let go of anyone she "needs".
