Beverly Hell 90210

Four sisters, born as quadruplets into a wealthy Beverly Hills household, first knew a life of privilege and comfort. That picture gradually fell apart. Their father, who held a deep contempt for women, directed physical and mental abuse at his wife and daughters. The girls were regularly beaten, went hungry, and wore worn-out clothes, while their brothers were waited on. At thirteen, the sisters were placed in foster care, where some of the settings were dangerous and some offered no love at all.

The book traces how the sisters finally found a caring home to grow up in, even though their father kept up relentless attacks on the caseworkers and their foster mother. It explores several connected themes: the slow decline of a family that had once been prosperous, the damage done by coercive control, sexism that operated inside the family itself, and the close bond the sisters forged with one another as a shield against constant abuse.

As adults, the Lucci quadruplets have grown up, finished college, and started shaping their futures. Even so, the book suggests that their harsh childhood will continue to follow them in some form.