How does a fragile soul navigate through misappropriated shame? This question is at the heart of Leaving Grace, a story about a nineteen year old girl whose bipolar mother has shamed her for having been sexually violated at age eleven. Grace carries immense guilt, shame, and confusion about What Happened When She Was Eleven. Grace leaves home to escape her mother and other bad choices she has made, but soon finds that, living with her rich aunt in California, she cannot so easily escape. She discovers that her aunt, too, has "issues" that stand to further harm her. In this novella, Grace has to break through the noise of her mother and aunt to find herself and hang on for dear life.