No One Crosses the Wolf: A Memoir

Written by Lisa Nikolidakis

Narrated by Lisa Nikolidakis

A powerful memoir about the traumas of a perilous childhood, a shattering murder-suicide, and a healing journey from escape to survival to recovery.

Growing up, Lisa Nikolidakis tried to make sense of her childhood, which was scarred by abuse, violence, and psychological terrors so extreme that her relationship with her father was cleaved beyond repair. Having finally been able to leave that relationship behind, surviving meant forgetting. For years, “I’m fine” was a lie Nikolidakis repeated.

Then, on her twenty-seventh birthday, Nikolidakis’s father murdered his girlfriend and her daughter, and turned the gun on himself. Nikolidakis’s world cracked open, followed by conflicted emotions: shock, grief, mourning for the innocent victims, and relief that she had escaped the same fate. In the tragedy’s wake, questions lingered: Who was this man, and why had he inflicted such horrors on her and his last victims? For answers, Nikolidakis embarked on a quest to Greece to find her father’s estranged family and a reckoning with the past she never expected.

In her gripping and moving memoir, Nikolidakis explores not only the making of a killer but her own liberation from the demons that haunted her and her profound self-restoration in the face of unimaginable crimes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Sep 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781713668473

Lisa Nikolidakis

Lisa Nikolidakis’s work has been selected for The Best American Essays 2016 (edited by Jonathan Franzen) and she has won numerous prizes and awards for both her fiction and nonfiction, including the Annie Dillard, the Orlando, and the Lamar York prizes. Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey, Nikolidakis presently teaches creative writing, photographs animals, and writes. For more information, visit www.lisanikolidakis.com.

Reviews for No One Crosses the Wolf

[scottjpearson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fathers can sometimes present themselves to their children as a tyrannical lot, especially in abusive situations. Young ones can feel trapped in circumstances because they cannot escape their family, yet their circumstances are oppressive to their own personal growth. Coming to peace with their situation and themselves can consume years of early adulthood. Nikolidakis’ story embodies this storyline, yet as a thirty-something, a trip to Greece, her ancestral home, brought her a sense of peace and love that she never found in her American home.Nikolidakis unfortunately experienced the worst sort of patriarchal family structure: abuse and oppression. Eventually, even her father’s death in unspeakable circumstances would haunt her the rest of her life. Yet she found a way – somehow – to overcome it. Over subsequent years, she has earned a PhD and become an English professor. Understanding how she transitioned from a vulnerable girl into a strong woman birthed the writing of this tale. In the end, a trip to Greece and specifically Crete, to her father’s hometown, brought her the beginnings of the closure that she craves.Nikolidakis’ determination and perseverance can serve as an inspiration to younger girls in particular, but they can potentially inspire anyone who admires inner strength. The writing is engaging, though a bit dark. Readers have to be ready to engage with some of the worst that humanity has to offer. Yet this memoir ends in hope and concomitant healing.I’m not sure that I’d recommend this book to anyone and everyone because it is so heavy. Readers looking forward to a light escape will not find that here. Nonetheless, people who like to deal with the harder edges around human nature can find much to appreciate. This is a story of being redeemed from a bad childhood, and that redemption is found in the third and final part. Navigating through the weeds of the first two parts is indeed difficult. Stories like this can remind me of how good I have it, despite any hardships that I might face.