ISO: Books about Sibling Abuse

When I was a teenager, one of my friends had a brother who beat her up. At the time, I didn’t understand what that meant and couldn’t reconcile it with what I thought I knew about sibling relationships. To me, the fact that he “beat her up” meant that they got into fights sometimes. And, for me, then, fights were fair and equal matches that both people signed up for.

I remember I mentioned it/them to my parents once, and my dad even remarked with a shake of his head on it. “Isn’t that the boy who beats up his sister?” he asked. And I corrected him. “No,” I said. “They get into fights sometimes.”

I was young and had a limited understanding of the world. However, I knew about intimate partner violence and child abuse by parents/guardians because of soap operas and books. I had no clue that sibling abuse was a thing. I thought that siblings could fight or maybe get on each other’s nerves or participate in schemes and manipulation (okay, yes, this is all stuff I read in Sweet Valley High), but not once did I understand that domestic violence could occur between siblings.

As I have gotten older, I have heard more of these types of stories–stories about people who were abused by their siblings, whose siblings made home an unsafe place to be.

However, I have not seen it reflected in the media I consume. In fact, I can only think of two  YA books that are about sibling abuse:

Tangerine by Edward Bloor (link goes to my review)

Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (link goes to Goodreads)

When we talk about the need for diverse fiction, we also need to think about the diversity of experiences depicted in fiction. As a prolific reader (and TV watcher, to be sure), I got almost all of my information about the world from books and TV as a child and teenager. I just think of how much better I could have served my friend if I had had even one iota or glimmer of understanding of the idea of what she was going through.

I also know it’s possible that I may have just missed reading books on the subject when I was growing up. But I also know that I can only think of two adult fiction books that cover the subject (A Game of Thrones being one).

When I first looked up the topic a few months ago, I came across a website with people sharing stories about being abused by their siblings and how hard it is even now to find out information about the topic. So I don’t think this is a case of me not paying attention.

But again, I could be wrong.

So, today, I pose this question: Can anyone recommend or share books that depict sibling abuse? While I am specifically interested in young adult fiction, I would also welcome recommendations of ANY books that deal with the topic.