Meena Kandasamy's powerful novel, 'When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Young Writer as a Wife,' delves into the harrowing complexities of a young woman's marriage to an academic, which quickly spirals into a controlling and abusive relationship. The protagonist, a writer, finds her intellectual freedom and personal autonomy systematically eroded by her husband's insidious possessiveness. This semi-autobiographical work is a searing exploration of domestic violence, the struggle for identity, and the insidious ways power dynamics can manifest within intimate relationships, offering a brave and unflinching look at survival and resistance.