Don't Cross the Wolf's Path: When a Monster Lives in Your House

In me, a little frightened girl still lives. She’s afraid of the dark, because at night the loving father turns into a monster. On her 27th birthday, Liza finds out from the news: in the house where her father lived with his new family, they found three corpses. All shot with her father’s gun. For several hours, Liza tries to figure out whose bodies have been found. If among them is her father—does that mean she’s finally safe? If her father killed his new wife and her children—was Liza to blame for their deaths? After all, she never told anyone that her father was actually a monster.

Why did her father become a cruel tyrant and killer? How can you cope with the horrors of the past that shaped your whole life? Searching for answers, Liza goes to Greece to find her father’s family—and the answers to her questions. “Don’t cross the road with the wolf” is a fearless memoir about childhood trauma, guilt, coming to terms with the past, and finding strength. In this candid and often sharp narrative, Nikolidakis explores what she calls her father’s “monstrous abuses.” After he left her family, he killed his new girlfriend and their daughter—then took his own life… With irresistible clarity and eloquence, Liza analyzes his ability to manipulate… This is a brave and inspiring story about moving through pain toward a complex understanding of what happened and self-recovery.

Kirkus Reviews

These memoirs hide nothing. They are brutal and honest—heartbreaking and expressive—forcing you to look inside yourself. Though Nikolidakis speaks honestly about the darkness she had to endure, she also opens a metaphorical window and gives readers light… Gripping, brutally honest memoirs that tackle difficult topics but end with a feeling of hope. Library Journal.