My Sweet Audrina / YMMV

Alternative Character Interpretation: Audrina might not be the only rape victim in that house. Vera's oversexed behavior and dialogue, especially at such a young age, is often highly symptomatic of sexual abuse. Not that this makes her any less despicable, but it certainly would explain a lot of the things she does.
Diagnosed by the Audience: Sylvia is clearly developmentally delayed, but we are not told exactly what is wrong with her, and the book strongly implies she may be exaggerating (even though it would be difficult for a profoundly mentally disabled child to do this).^note
Ensemble Dark Horse:
- Vera, for being such an over-the-top villain. Despite being an all-around terrible person, it is impossible not to find her entertaining.
- Sylvia is also a fairly popular character as well.
It Was His Sled: Both Audrinas are one and the same.
Moment of Awesome: Pretty much anytime Audrina stands up to Arden:
- Yanking away from him when she comes out of her coma.
- Refusing to see him when he tries to visit her while she's in the hospital.
- Yanking away again when she comes home, outright screaming at him not to touch her, then refusing to talk to him or even look at him despite his whining.
- Hitting him when he tries to restrain her from digging up the First Audrina's grave. (Too bad it's undone by them eventually having sex, but it's great while it lasts).
- Throwing a paperweight at him when she's packing to leave in response to his pathetic entreaties for her not to leave.
Moral Event Horizon:
- The revelation that Vera set up Audrina's gang-rape. As despicable a person as she's consistently proven herself to be throughout the book, some readers can still have a vestige of sympathy for her, given her years of being The Unfavorite and Damian's refusal to acknowledge her as his daughter, but that all evaporates when you learn the role she played in the rape.
- Arden gets this with his insensitivity regarding Audrina's sexual fears and his affair with Vera that stems from both of these things, given that he's fully aware of her history.
Rewatch Bonus: Readers who don't figure out the book's secret until near the end, when Damian finally tells Audrina that she's the only one will reread it and kick themselves for not noticing the various clues to this effect. For starters, Audrina flashes back to the First Audrina staggering home after the rape, which would be impossible if she'd been killed. Later, when she has another flashback about the rape, she recalls Arden being there, also impossible if the First Audrina had been nine years old, since Arden would have been a kindergartener.
- Damian's dislike of Arden seems like him being a typical overprotective parent until you realize that he knew that Arden failed to help Audrina, thus making his attitude even MORE understandable
Unintentionally Sympathetic:
- Damian isn't the best husband or father but it's not hard to feel sorry for him. Three women that he loved died with two of them being murdered by his oldest daughter, his second daughter was gang-raped leaving her traumatized, suicidal, and terrified of her own father for being male, his oldest daughter is evil incarnate, and his youngest daughter was born severely disabled. As much as his actions have hurt others, one can't help but feel bad when he's had to attend funeral after funeral for people he genuinely loved. Even his treatment of Audrina is somewhat understandable when you see him as a guilt-ridden father who failed to protect his beloved child when she needed him the most, and is now blind to the fact that his need to keep her safe is destroying her.
- Audrina also gets a lot of hate for supposedly being so stupid to not realize that SHE is the First Audrina. But considering that she was gang-raped—already something that could cause Trauma-Induced Amnesia—then extensively brainwashed for years by her entire family to believe that this happened to someone else, her fragile mental state is pretty understandable. Plus, even if there HAD been an older sister, after years of being told horror stories, it stands to reason that Audrina would be a neurotic mess regardless.
- Additionally, the only people she interacts with are her family and Arden's. She does not go to school and she is not allowed even to read the newspaper or watch TV. Her exposure to the real world are extremely limited, so it is no surprise that she trusts her family as much as she does: she has no other experiences to compare to and realize that her family might be lying.
- Vera of all people gets a sliver of this when you consider how horribly Damian treats her. That bit near end where she blasts him for it and tearfully begs Arden to take her away—"I just want to be loved. I'm not bad, I'm really not bad"—is actually pretty wrenching.
- Arden gets a miniscule amount of this too when he apologizes to Audrina for all the times he's failed her—truthfully pointing out that he wouldn't have stood a chance against her attackers—and pleads for a chance to redeem himself.
Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Lucky. Audrina plays her up to be a good loving mother but she's an adult Spoiled Brat who stole her sister's lover, is taunting her sister while working her as practically a slave, and her alcoholism contributed to Sylvia being born severely disabled. Lest we forget that she responded to her daughter's gang rape by taking a hard brush and scrubbing her skin raw.
Values Dissonance: Sort of - the giant amounts of rape tropes has had their impact somewhat diminished now that books like Fifty Shades of Grey have become popular.
The Woobie: Considering what happens to Audrina and what did happen, it is impossible not to feel for her.

YMMV / My Sweet Audrina

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