Kory is a new mother trying to survive the aftermath of an abusive love. Jonah, the father of her child, is incarcerated, but his presence still governs her guilt, her memory, and her understanding of intimacy. Far from home and unraveling under postpartum depression, Kory numbs herself with pills, convincing herself the damage is temporary.
When her estranged mother, Amy-an addict who abandoned her in childhood-reenters her life, Kory is pulled into a familiar cycle of care and harm. Amy helps raise Kory's infant even as she enables Kory's growing dependence, forcing Kory to confront the fear that she is becoming the woman she once swore she would never be. As her closest friend begins to pull away, Kory's fragile sense of control fractures.
A charged encounter with a stranger awakens desire Kory thought died with her abuser, threatening the numbness that has kept her alive. What Isn't My Fault is a literary novel about addiction, inheritance, and the dangerous comfort of believing survival alone is enough.