At six years old, Mary Alice Lydell is consumed by fear. No one can protect her from the monster she cannot name. Even if she understood the monster, she couldn't tell Momma or Aunt Jean or her best friend Carolyn, because if she did, they would know she was bad and wouldn't love her. She sits inside her closet, talking to Birdhouse Jesus, a crucifix she stole from Aunt Jean, hoping he will make Daddy be nice to her and not behave in ways that terrify her.

In her teens, filled with self-loathing, Mary Alice falls quickly and deeply in love with a man who touches her gently and makes her feel worthy. Soon, she has another secret - and a baby on the way. The baby's father also has a secret: he's married to someone else.

Family ties - the ones that bind and nurture, and the ones that strangle and suffocate - shape Mary Alice's life in profound ways. Although Birdhouse Jesus is a story of trauma and betrayal, it is also one of resilience and hope, as Mary Alice struggles to become the woman that a part of her has always known she could be.