Hope y'all don't mind my butting in, but I read Deerskin a couple of years ago and liked it a lot. And I'm the biggest wimp about scary/gross/brutal things, especially when they involve children. As long as you know, going in, that there are unpleasant scenes and grimness, you should be ok. It has one of my all-time favorite princes in it. So, you don't need to be frightened of ALL men, just one.