Scan barcode
brightshiny's review against another edition
4.0
Well told story about a difficult subject, sexual abuse, and, thankfully, because it is a hard subject to read, not too long.
readerziyya's review against another edition
5.0
Sebenarnya, saya membaca buku ini di bulan Agustus lalu. Saya ingat membaca novel ini sekali duduk, sebelum tidur. Buku ini tipikal buku yang akan membuatmu susah bernapas. Saya ingat, setelah menyelesaikannya, saya mengupdate review singkat di Goodreads dan berkata seperti ini:
When we’re outsider we thought, upon hearing the child sexual abuse crime, that it was horrible. but placing our self as insider, which i thought was the book’s intention, it feels terrifying.
Lalu kenapa kalau novel ini berkesan saya malah tidak langsung mereviewnya? Itulah penyakit saya (-,-)a. Saya punya kebiasaan untuk mengambil jarak dari kisah yang baru selesai saya baca. Alhasil, kadang (dan kebanyakan) kisah itu terlewatkan untuk saya review. Nah, beberapa minggu ini saya sedang mengikuti sebuah TV series berjudul The Missing. TV series yang berkisah tentang penculikan seorang anak kecil bernama Oliver Hughes yang disinyalir berkaitan dengan child trafficking. Dalam episode-episode yang plotnya semakin escalating belakangan ini, muncul Ian Garrett dan kebenaran yang terkuak tentang ia yang seorang pedophile dan salah satu korbannya adalah anak perempuannya sendiri! Ian Garrett mengingatkan saya pada novel ini. Tepatnya pada karakter Stewart Gray.
Its HORRIBLE. Rasanya mau nangis aja kalo baca kisah korban pedofilia. Kasihan dengan mereka yang mendapatkan perlakuan buruk itu. Sekaligus khawatir dengan trauma yang nanti akan membentuk mentalnya di masa depan. Biasanya malah korban pedofilia ini, saat besar akan menjadi pelaku child sexual abuse. Dan kalau begitu, penyakit pedophilia menjadi siklus yang tak putus. Memang tak semuanya tapi itu sangat mengkhawatirkan, kan? Sangat.
Balik ke kisah Emma. Unsur fantasi yakni kemunculan hantu Ginny, lama-lama men-trigger Emma untuk bertindak. Thats a good thing for a victim like Emma. She should no longer shut up herself. Because most victim intended to shut the problem to themselves. Apalagi di kasus Emma ini, setiap kali Ayahnya ‘melukainya’, sang Ayah berdalih kalau itu karena ia mencintai Emma. Gimana ga geregetan coba sama sang Ayah yang bejat begitu! :evil:
Stewart Gray, sang ayah, ngga keliatan deh kalo dia memiliki penyakit pedofilia. Dia adalah seorang dokter bedah terkenal. Kehidupan rumah tangganya juga lempeng-lempeng aja. Ngga ada yang tau kalau di rumahnya Emma disakiti. Pun sang Ibu! Ini juga yang bikin geregetan. How could a mom be so blind about her own daughter. Di novel ini, sang Ibu terlalu sibuk dengan kesedihannya akan kematian Ginny (dan masih). Satu-satunya yang memegang rahasia Dr. Gray adalah sang bibi, Aunt Donna. Itu pun, dengan liciknya, Dr. Gray berhasil memanipulasi Pam (ibu Emma) dengan kebencian hingga keduanya berpisah -tak lagi berkomunikasi.
Tapi, benarkah semuanya ‘buta’ akan kejanggalan dalam diam dan tertutupnya Emma? You and I will hope, not all people blind of what goes wrong with Emma. We, reader, would hope for someone to rescue Emma. But we’ll see. you need to read the whole story.
When we’re outsider we thought, upon hearing the child sexual abuse crime, that it was horrible. but placing our self as insider, which i thought was the book’s intention, it feels terrifying.
Lalu kenapa kalau novel ini berkesan saya malah tidak langsung mereviewnya? Itulah penyakit saya (-,-)a. Saya punya kebiasaan untuk mengambil jarak dari kisah yang baru selesai saya baca. Alhasil, kadang (dan kebanyakan) kisah itu terlewatkan untuk saya review. Nah, beberapa minggu ini saya sedang mengikuti sebuah TV series berjudul The Missing. TV series yang berkisah tentang penculikan seorang anak kecil bernama Oliver Hughes yang disinyalir berkaitan dengan child trafficking. Dalam episode-episode yang plotnya semakin escalating belakangan ini, muncul Ian Garrett dan kebenaran yang terkuak tentang ia yang seorang pedophile dan salah satu korbannya adalah anak perempuannya sendiri! Ian Garrett mengingatkan saya pada novel ini. Tepatnya pada karakter Stewart Gray.
Its HORRIBLE. Rasanya mau nangis aja kalo baca kisah korban pedofilia. Kasihan dengan mereka yang mendapatkan perlakuan buruk itu. Sekaligus khawatir dengan trauma yang nanti akan membentuk mentalnya di masa depan. Biasanya malah korban pedofilia ini, saat besar akan menjadi pelaku child sexual abuse. Dan kalau begitu, penyakit pedophilia menjadi siklus yang tak putus. Memang tak semuanya tapi itu sangat mengkhawatirkan, kan? Sangat.
“I’m dead! That’s what’s wrong with me! Dead people fly, Emma! I brought you here so I could talk to you, and all you want to do is pretend you’re dead!”
Balik ke kisah Emma. Unsur fantasi yakni kemunculan hantu Ginny, lama-lama men-trigger Emma untuk bertindak. Thats a good thing for a victim like Emma. She should no longer shut up herself. Because most victim intended to shut the problem to themselves. Apalagi di kasus Emma ini, setiap kali Ayahnya ‘melukainya’, sang Ayah berdalih kalau itu karena ia mencintai Emma. Gimana ga geregetan coba sama sang Ayah yang bejat begitu! :evil:
Stewart Gray, sang ayah, ngga keliatan deh kalo dia memiliki penyakit pedofilia. Dia adalah seorang dokter bedah terkenal. Kehidupan rumah tangganya juga lempeng-lempeng aja. Ngga ada yang tau kalau di rumahnya Emma disakiti. Pun sang Ibu! Ini juga yang bikin geregetan. How could a mom be so blind about her own daughter. Di novel ini, sang Ibu terlalu sibuk dengan kesedihannya akan kematian Ginny (dan masih). Satu-satunya yang memegang rahasia Dr. Gray adalah sang bibi, Aunt Donna. Itu pun, dengan liciknya, Dr. Gray berhasil memanipulasi Pam (ibu Emma) dengan kebencian hingga keduanya berpisah -tak lagi berkomunikasi.
“I could say the same about you, but this conversation would degenerate into something entirely unprofessional. Pam, I like Emma. She’s a good kid. And something pretty damn serious is eating at her, and if you can’t see that, you’ve got your head in tghe sand!”
Tapi, benarkah semuanya ‘buta’ akan kejanggalan dalam diam dan tertutupnya Emma? You and I will hope, not all people blind of what goes wrong with Emma. We, reader, would hope for someone to rescue Emma. But we’ll see. you need to read the whole story.
“I think,” Myrna said slowly after a while, “that most of us never really treasure being alive. We take it for granted. I think Ginny wanted you to understand how precious it is.”
survivalisinsufficient's review against another edition
3.0
Susan Palwick is brilliant and I will read anything she writes, ever. That said, I much prefer her other stuff (Shelter is one of my favorite books ever, and The Necessary Beggar is not as good but so memorable, and Fate of Mice is great), probably mostly because the topic of this one is especially hard (not really a spoiler because it's clear early on: the book centers around a girl being sexually abused by her father).
juliemawesome's review against another edition
2.0
Siiiigh. So the last Susan Palwick book I had left to read, and it's one of _those_ books.
It has a framing story, so while most of the book is told from the point of view of a 12 year old, it may not technically be a YA book.
Main character is sexually abused by her father. And floats out of her body to have chats with her dead sister. And if you're surprised by the things that are revealed through the course of the book, you really shouldn't be.
But, hey, the dead sister is named Ginny. And the neighbors next door remind me strongly of the Weasleys. Though I didn't sit down to count how many brothers were in the family, I think it was about 6. The house is crowded, and jumbled, and not-exactly-rich, and the family's attitude strikes me as pretty Weasley. So, in any case, I can't help but like them. Even though I wouldn't want to live with them.
This is one of those stories that's called 'moving', 'touching', 'poignant' and all sorts of other words that equal 'boring' in my mind. Honestly, if this was my first exposure to Susan Palwick, I would not have gone to read more of her stuff. Not intentionally.
Not that it wasn't a quick read and enjoyable on a certain level. Just. Bleh. It's like.. one of those stories they praise you for in grad school.
It has a framing story, so while most of the book is told from the point of view of a 12 year old, it may not technically be a YA book.
Main character is sexually abused by her father. And floats out of her body to have chats with her dead sister. And if you're surprised by the things that are revealed through the course of the book, you really shouldn't be.
But, hey, the dead sister is named Ginny. And the neighbors next door remind me strongly of the Weasleys. Though I didn't sit down to count how many brothers were in the family, I think it was about 6. The house is crowded, and jumbled, and not-exactly-rich, and the family's attitude strikes me as pretty Weasley. So, in any case, I can't help but like them. Even though I wouldn't want to live with them.
This is one of those stories that's called 'moving', 'touching', 'poignant' and all sorts of other words that equal 'boring' in my mind. Honestly, if this was my first exposure to Susan Palwick, I would not have gone to read more of her stuff. Not intentionally.
Not that it wasn't a quick read and enjoyable on a certain level. Just. Bleh. It's like.. one of those stories they praise you for in grad school.
breeoxd's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up this book on a whim. It was for cheap in the Google bookstore and I'm always up for a quick read. And quick it is- I read this short little gem in one sitting. I hesitate to label it as a fantasy book despite it's winning fantasy prizes, but my initial attraction to the book was the ghost story aspect, so I guess it's a good place to start.
oh, and SPOILERS and stuff.
Emma seems like your normal, run of the mill pre-teen. She's a bit chubby and nerdy, but she has a good head on her shoulders. Nice kid. Then you realize her family is anything but normal. She lives in the shadow cast by her angelic dead sister, and her parents are cruel to her in a way that is almost unbelievable. Not one interaction goes by where they aren't calling her fat or stupid, a slob, etc. Immediately I was repulsed by the mother, shoving food into her daughter's face while telling her she needs to diet. She is a brute witch of a woman hiding her nastiness none to well behind a shield of grief. It is very easy to wonder if she cares for her daughter at all, and what makes it worse is that Emma acknowledges and vocalizes that to her parents throughout the book. It's a damn shame.
Emma and her sister never met since Ginny died before Emma was born, but in the supernatural realm, we find Emma and Ginny dancing and cartwheeling together on the ceiling of Emma's bedroom. Emma quickly realizes she is talking to a ghost and gives Ginny the tongue lashing of a "lifetime", unleashing years of bitterness and hurt at being compared to the "perfect" sister. While they spar, Emma gestures downward, letting her know why she was lucky to be free of life, and BAM! We are treated to the imagery of Emma's surgeon father violently taking her virginity.
wtf
Hey, I have to say, that for such a creep ass horrible subject, the author handles it with tact and grace. There is no doubt as to what is happening but it is not graphic. She uses Emma's ethereal projection to soften the blow of the abuse, for Emma as well as the reader, but it is still horrific none the less.
This all happens in the first chapter! Talk about intense. Throughout the rest of this short work Emma spirals out of control as the abuse continues. Her only refuge is in the time she spends with Ginny flying in an imaginary? space. The mental break takes her out of her body her dad assaults her everyday at dawn.
Ginny is a puzzling and interesting character. You can see why she was so well loved, but many of her plot points are hazy, since she is, after all, a ghost. Her swiss cheesy spector memory is a useful tool to help the author build suspense, as Ginny herself tries to figure out why she has come back. Emma gradually accepts her presence as a unquestioned gift and returns to Ginny again and again, not caring why she has appeared. As the reader you want to know what really happened to Ginny, and why is this whole family so irrevocably broken? What came first, the chicken or the daughter dying of "pneumonia".
The novel is paced very well, and moves at lighting speed. Before you know it, Emma's abuse is exposed, an the entire family is forced to deal with the consequences and aftermath. Nothing should come as a shocking surprise- one particular point is very predictable (from the 3 chapter for me) but that doesn't spoil it. Overall an interesting supernatural spin on the domestic/sexual abuse genre. If you like "The Lovely Bones" this will be right up your alley.
oh, and SPOILERS and stuff.
Emma seems like your normal, run of the mill pre-teen. She's a bit chubby and nerdy, but she has a good head on her shoulders. Nice kid. Then you realize her family is anything but normal. She lives in the shadow cast by her angelic dead sister, and her parents are cruel to her in a way that is almost unbelievable. Not one interaction goes by where they aren't calling her fat or stupid, a slob, etc. Immediately I was repulsed by the mother, shoving food into her daughter's face while telling her she needs to diet. She is a brute witch of a woman hiding her nastiness none to well behind a shield of grief. It is very easy to wonder if she cares for her daughter at all, and what makes it worse is that Emma acknowledges and vocalizes that to her parents throughout the book. It's a damn shame.
Emma and her sister never met since Ginny died before Emma was born, but in the supernatural realm, we find Emma and Ginny dancing and cartwheeling together on the ceiling of Emma's bedroom. Emma quickly realizes she is talking to a ghost and gives Ginny the tongue lashing of a "lifetime", unleashing years of bitterness and hurt at being compared to the "perfect" sister. While they spar, Emma gestures downward, letting her know why she was lucky to be free of life, and BAM! We are treated to the imagery of Emma's surgeon father violently taking her virginity.
wtf
Hey, I have to say, that for such a creep ass horrible subject, the author handles it with tact and grace. There is no doubt as to what is happening but it is not graphic. She uses Emma's ethereal projection to soften the blow of the abuse, for Emma as well as the reader, but it is still horrific none the less.
This all happens in the first chapter! Talk about intense. Throughout the rest of this short work Emma spirals out of control as the abuse continues. Her only refuge is in the time she spends with Ginny flying in an imaginary? space. The mental break takes her out of her body her dad assaults her everyday at dawn.
Ginny is a puzzling and interesting character. You can see why she was so well loved, but many of her plot points are hazy, since she is, after all, a ghost. Her swiss cheesy spector memory is a useful tool to help the author build suspense, as Ginny herself tries to figure out why she has come back. Emma gradually accepts her presence as a unquestioned gift and returns to Ginny again and again, not caring why she has appeared. As the reader you want to know what really happened to Ginny, and why is this whole family so irrevocably broken? What came first, the chicken or the daughter dying of "pneumonia".
The novel is paced very well, and moves at lighting speed. Before you know it, Emma's abuse is exposed, an the entire family is forced to deal with the consequences and aftermath. Nothing should come as a shocking surprise- one particular point is very predictable (from the 3 chapter for me) but that doesn't spoil it. Overall an interesting supernatural spin on the domestic/sexual abuse genre. If you like "The Lovely Bones" this will be right up your alley.
kimberlybea's review
5.0
I first read this book over a decade ago and was struck by its poignancy and beauty. I recently reread it and am still amazed; both that it is a first novel, and that so much truth comes packed into a such a small book. Twelve year old Emma fears the "breathing" that comes every morning at dawn, when her father sneaks into her room. She can tell no one about these nightly visits: not her mother, who is too fragile, not her friend Jane, with her unconventional family and brazen behavior. The only one she can tell about these visits is Ginny, the ghost of a sister who died before Emma was born. Ginny knows secrets, and with her Emma can leave behind her body and fly. The story is told in first person, and Emma sounds like a real twelve year old, albeit one who has grown up with a lot of messed up ideas about her body and place in the world. The father who sneaks into Emma's bedroom is quite different from the respected surgeon the rest of the world sees, and a lesser author might not have been able to pull this off. Palwick not only does so, she hints at some motivation for the abuser, without excusing him, creating an adversary who is more frightening for all that. If there was one false note here, it was in the depiction of Tom and Myrna, whom I really liked but who had ideas that seemed anachronistic to me. Overall, Palwick writes about a very serious subject manner in a moving and dramatic manner, blending the horrific and the gorgeous, the realistic and the surreal into a very powerful whole.
More...