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silenttwg's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
A 15-year-old girl, raised in an extremely abusive, overly religious household, finds herself in the hellish situation of needing an abortion. But in her household, no matter the sin, abortion is the worse you can commit and no secret stays safe for long.
Egads, this was a rough read. Heartbreaking, insightful, devastating, and makes you want to grab the nearest child in a protective bear hug in the hopes that perhaps that kindness is enough to save them from walking a dark path.
What lustful thoughts lurk in the confines of a person's mind are no one's fault or control but their own and should never be laid at the feet of the victim of their desire.
Well written with a strong protagonist who never sees how strong she is, this story addresses how no one can break you quite as well as family can.
Egads, this was a rough read. Heartbreaking, insightful, devastating, and makes you want to grab the nearest child in a protective bear hug in the hopes that perhaps that kindness is enough to save them from walking a dark path.
What lustful thoughts lurk in the confines of a person's mind are no one's fault or control but their own and should never be laid at the feet of the victim of their desire.
Well written with a strong protagonist who never sees how strong she is, this story addresses how no one can break you quite as well as family can.
jason_kirk's review
5.0
This book will be available from 15th March 2023. I was sent an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is without a doubt one of the most powerful and affecting books I have ever read. Jeez, it dug its fingers into my brain, messed with my emotions and for a large part of it I was so engrossed it felt like my hands were nailed to it. This is most definitely *not* a story for the faint of heart. There's sexual assault and some extreme violence. However, for me, it's the emotional and psychological brutality that makes this story so heartbreaking.
Mona Hill is 15 years old and lives in a small town in Alabama. She's wise beyond her years and all she wants is to be good and free....but life has other ideas. In her short time on this earth she has been through more than anyone should ever have to. She feels invisible; nobody cares who she is inside and she feels as though she's just there for others to use and abuse. She lives in fear and feels constantly observed, controlled, restricted. And just when she thinks things can't get any worse, they really, really can and she finds herself in a living hell....
So we're presented with an everyday, familiar, domestic setting but what happens within it is the full range of despicable inhumanity. A place that is inhabited by all too human monsters who reveal the true nastiness deep in their souls. Religion is explored in this scenario but not as something warm, protective and offering succour. It is something hypocritical that is used to control, coerce, shame and justify cruelty.
What I found so impressive about this book is how the author so effectively puts us right into the scenarios depicted. This is both as an observer and also as Mona herself. I found it *so* easy to empathise with Mona, to experience her misery, despair and longing for a better life. It's real heartrending stuff and I felt so invested in how things were going to work out for her. I also really, really wished I could dive in and rescue her!
There's also a real sense of dread and anticipation that starts very subtly but then just builds and builds. Very tense stuff indeed. As for a rating, there's absolutely no doubt: 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is without a doubt one of the most powerful and affecting books I have ever read. Jeez, it dug its fingers into my brain, messed with my emotions and for a large part of it I was so engrossed it felt like my hands were nailed to it. This is most definitely *not* a story for the faint of heart. There's sexual assault and some extreme violence. However, for me, it's the emotional and psychological brutality that makes this story so heartbreaking.
Mona Hill is 15 years old and lives in a small town in Alabama. She's wise beyond her years and all she wants is to be good and free....but life has other ideas. In her short time on this earth she has been through more than anyone should ever have to. She feels invisible; nobody cares who she is inside and she feels as though she's just there for others to use and abuse. She lives in fear and feels constantly observed, controlled, restricted. And just when she thinks things can't get any worse, they really, really can and she finds herself in a living hell....
So we're presented with an everyday, familiar, domestic setting but what happens within it is the full range of despicable inhumanity. A place that is inhabited by all too human monsters who reveal the true nastiness deep in their souls. Religion is explored in this scenario but not as something warm, protective and offering succour. It is something hypocritical that is used to control, coerce, shame and justify cruelty.
What I found so impressive about this book is how the author so effectively puts us right into the scenarios depicted. This is both as an observer and also as Mona herself. I found it *so* easy to empathise with Mona, to experience her misery, despair and longing for a better life. It's real heartrending stuff and I felt so invested in how things were going to work out for her. I also really, really wished I could dive in and rescue her!
There's also a real sense of dread and anticipation that starts very subtly but then just builds and builds. Very tense stuff indeed. As for a rating, there's absolutely no doubt: 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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