dr_manuela_reads's review
5.0
Read 7/14
Read in 1 day. Could not put it down.
I love stories that begin with a chapter, even a few pages, that tells you where the characters will end. This is how this book begins.
Story deals with a very tough subject, the most horrendous of child sexual abuse, that caused by parents. The authors handles the subject matter very well and I was left feeling hopeful. I truly hope there are families like the Ladens that are loving and can take kids in like Jordan and love them thru their tragedy to such a degree that they have a real chance at life.
Read in 1 day. Could not put it down.
I love stories that begin with a chapter, even a few pages, that tells you where the characters will end. This is how this book begins.
Story deals with a very tough subject, the most horrendous of child sexual abuse, that caused by parents. The authors handles the subject matter very well and I was left feeling hopeful. I truly hope there are families like the Ladens that are loving and can take kids in like Jordan and love them thru their tragedy to such a degree that they have a real chance at life.
erinrosalee's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
leevo's review
5.0
Writing this review for my future self, who might one day forget the contents of this novel, see the cover and description (that does not at all prepare a person for the harrowing nature of this book), and decide to reread it. Don’t do it. And if you must do it, then prepare to ugly-cry like a teething baby.
meaghanashley3's review
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Child abuse
purrsnikitty's review
5.0
I somewhat knew what I was getting into when I picked up this book, but I wasn't prepared for it to become one of those stories that I just could not put down.
My heart aches for every single character contained within these pages and yet is so full of peace at them having found one another. Trauma may never fully release its grasp on our bones, but it does not have to be the end of us. This book, even with its unfathomable canyons of despair and tragedy, showed that lights can shine even in the darkest of places, and that even the kindness of a stranger can be one of those lights.
I've started to write and deleted so many sentences in my attempt to express my feelings, and I just can't. This book filled me with fury, gratitude, sadness, hope, and helplessness, and I know that Jordan's story is echoed in so terribly many other children's lives in this world.
My only complaint, if I can really even call it one, is that some of the internal dialogue, especially of Nate, felt strange. Some of the word choice, such as people being described as "goofs" threw me out of the story a little, as did the number of people (from the kids to the adults) describing themselves as babies for crying. It wasn't enough to modify my rating, but it did come up quite a few times while reading. Much of the boys' internal dialogue was very similar to one another, and I wish we'd seen as much personality differences inside their heads as we saw outside.
My heart aches for every single character contained within these pages and yet is so full of peace at them having found one another. Trauma may never fully release its grasp on our bones, but it does not have to be the end of us. This book, even with its unfathomable canyons of despair and tragedy, showed that lights can shine even in the darkest of places, and that even the kindness of a stranger can be one of those lights.
I've started to write and deleted so many sentences in my attempt to express my feelings, and I just can't. This book filled me with fury, gratitude, sadness, hope, and helplessness, and I know that Jordan's story is echoed in so terribly many other children's lives in this world.
My only complaint, if I can really even call it one, is that some of the internal dialogue, especially of Nate, felt strange. Some of the word choice, such as people being described as "goofs" threw me out of the story a little, as did the number of people (from the kids to the adults) describing themselves as babies for crying. It wasn't enough to modify my rating, but it did come up quite a few times while reading. Much of the boys' internal dialogue was very similar to one another, and I wish we'd seen as much personality differences inside their heads as we saw outside.
avilareads's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
one of my all time favorite novels. so much love and care is put into such traumatic and difficult topics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Pedophilia
brynebo's review
3.0
If you feel you need to be educated on the abuse of children by those who are meant to protect them, by all means, read this book. If you feel you are already more familiar with the subject than you care to be, I suggest you select something else. This one sits heavy on the soul.
juliaem's review
4.0
Although the back of the book attempts to summarize without hinting at content, my friend Cecily actually recommended this to me specifically because it was about childhood sexual abuse. If that is something you prefer not to spend free time thinking about, then don't read this. After working at a sexual assault crisis hotline for 3+ years, however, I'm sort of inclined to think that because silence surrounding child victims is almost as significant a form of oppression as the abuse itself, that we'd all do well to make ourselves feel nauseated by this reality sometimes (and truly--you will feel ill). In that respect, this is a great book. Kittle has obviously done boatloads of research, and the perps in this book are not old men driving big white vans; they are, like real pedophiles, the people you would least expect, and when the horror is revealed, everyone is ready to be angry, but no one is ready to acknowledge that for every child whose story is told, countless others are silent. Her treatment of how one small community is affected by the abuse is spot-on, and she is tremendously sensitive to all the nuanced types of havoc this can wreak, especially on children not directly involved, but still having to comprehend the abuse. As a novel, it's not the best, simply good. So, expect a quick read--there is a happy ending, and I found myself racing towards it desperately (the whole read took probably 6 hours). And I do applaud Kittle for creating a work of fiction that does some consciousness-raising to boot.
anneke_b's review
4.0
Wow. This was so realistic, and it completely gripped me from beginning (tbh the third chapter, I needed some time to warm up) to end. Definitely a trigger warning for those who do not want to read about sexual abuse and pedophilia.
But that leaves me just one question: why are so many female characters always doing some artistic, culinary thing as a career? So many cooks, painters, and the list goes on that it really makes me wonder.
Either way: recommended!
But that leaves me just one question: why are so many female characters always doing some artistic, culinary thing as a career? So many cooks, painters, and the list goes on that it really makes me wonder.
Either way: recommended!