tigertales

Well, I am not really sure how to rate this. The formatting is totally batshit, the writing passable at best, and the book itself is some horrific CreateSpace binding travesty, but come on....I didn't buy this thing because I thought it would be the pinnacle of literature. 

I bought it for the shit talking. 

That shit talking confirms exactly what I've always suspected about the person/auuthor portrayed herein (named Miriam in the book), that she is a vile emotional vampire who basically exists to be the poster child for personality disorders and roundly abuse everyone around her. Of course her assistant comes across as an asshole too, a wet blanket who just grits her teeth and smiles her way through TEN YEARS of blatant mistreatment because...I'm not sure why. Melody (the assistant) is a functional adult with marketable skills, in no way dependent on the job the author gives her or on the author herself. In fact the author 'character' never reciprocates any attention or care paid her, so I have no clue what Melody gets out of this whole arrangement. It's not like Miriam is abusing Melody in the traditional sense. Miriam isn't controlling Melody's money (beyond paying her in an employment situation), she isn't exploiting any disabilities Melody has, she isn't in a romantic relationship with Melody...other than being an unpredictable asshole (and making everyone walk on eggshells) the more traditional markers of abuse aren't present. So why does Melody stay? Miriam has more understandable motivations than Melody. Miriam at least most certainly has a personality disorder and is just preying on others for emotional food in accordance with that. Melody on the other hand just seems to thrive on the drama in some way. Enablers make me mad. They're doing no one any favors, let alone themselves. 

It could very well be that Miriam started out normal and lured Melody in (not uncommon), but the story doesn't unfold that way. It seems that Miriam has always been an unreasonable, unpredictable mess which leaves me confused as to how Miriam got her claws in Melody in the first place. Maybe if the story were laid out in a more slow burn sort of fashion I would have more sympathy for Melody. 

Also I have a huge pet peeve about people who are doing well for themselves (i.e. not people with no other choice) acting like saints because they shop at discount stores. Melody constantly scoring off of Miriam because --gasp!--Miriam bought a 700$ jacket and Melody only spends two dollars on hers is annoying in the extreme. You aren't a beautiful down to earth angelic soul because you're just so above material things. I bet that 700$ jacket looks a lot better than your bargain bin sweater, Melody.