The Tell: A Memoir

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes descriptions of rape and child sexual abuse.

Throughout The Tell, Amy’s habit of running becomes a symbol of her deep-seated desire to escape the abuse that she experienced in middle school, even as she hides the memories from herself and those around her for decades. Amy began running in middle school, at the same time the abuse started. Running made her feel strong, in control, and “proud of the mechanics of [her] body” (3), serving as a direct balm to the shame, fear, and loss of control associated with her abuse. As she became an adult, her compulsive running came to define her. As she ran marathons and triathlons, it was something that “took up so much space in [her] life” (7) and became a physical manifestation of her psychological need to outrun the past. Throughout the text, running indicates the looming presence of Amy’s trauma, illustrating the fact that her childhood abuse still defines and dictates many aspects of her life, even if she isn’t consciously aware of this hidden dynamic.