Catherine McCall appeared to have all an American girl could want: well-to-do cosmopolitan parents, a private education, a strong faith foundation — even two baby grand pianos at her fingertips. But beneath this perfect fa?ade, her family hid a horrific secret. No one could have guessed there was an actual torture chamber in the basement of 763 Montgomery Place, or that McCall was being raped repeatedly by her father. And by the age of eighteen, she didn’t know either — she had repressed every memory of abuse. Twenty years later, married and with children of her own, McCall's memories began to return.

When the Piano Stops is McCall's revealing memoir detailing the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mentally ill father and her remarkable recovery as an adult. Now a highly successful family therapist, her ability to overcome the dark years of childhood is an inspiration to those who have been sexually abused. Her prose is lucid, with early events narrated from the perspective of a child, giving her story a stark authenticity and immediacy.

A true survivor memoir, When the Piano Stops is poised to change the face of literature on the topic of sexual abuse.