A review by cateyeschloe
The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I was warned going in that this book is dark and twisted, and that definitely rings true!

I read the book in a day and enjoyed (if I can use that word for this subject?) every minute of it. 

The story had me engaged from the Prologue and I stayed engrossed throughout every chapter. The characters are all interesting and multi-faceted, each shining a light on varying shades of grey in their moral compasses. The majority of characters have an effective character development and arch one way or another and where that growth may be lacking in some areas intentionally serves the story quite well. 

The book presents many characters who are extremely flawed and deeply affected by the ripple effects of situations and traumas in their lives. The interesting aspect, though, is that the author makes a point not to vilify most of these characters regardless of the choices they make and the actions they take (save for perhaps one character, who in my opinion cannot be anything other than a villain, so that could just be my lens coloring that perspective).

The author also does an excellent job of highlighting how often both society, individuals, and sometimes even our own minds will shift blame onto victims (specifically women) and twist the situation away from the actions and motivations of the perpetrator or abuser. 

This book tackles trauma, depression, suicidal ideation, internalized misogyny, assault, and abuse head on in many different forms and makes a concerted effort to showcase each of these from an outlook of empathy and patience. 

The topics covered in this book are grizzly, uncomfortable, and often very unsettling. However, I will definitely say it’s not an overly graphic book, in my opinion. The author explains what is going on without getting so visceral in the details that you reach a point where you feel like you need to shower. 

It lost a few points from me simply because I wished the ending had resolved things a little more completely or thoroughly, but the choices the author makes do still make sense. 

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone with the stomach for darker, troubling subjects!

As a suggestion however, I would definitely recommend checking out the trigger warnings before reading if you have any concerns. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, and Abandonment

The main themes of this book involve incest, pedophilia, underage rape, and rape. They are integral to the plot and ever present throughout the chapters. There is one scene of dubious sexual consent, wherein one person is extremely intoxicated when they initiate having sex with a basically sober individual. The drunk party is enthusiastic but their intoxicated state eliminates any room for true safe and sane consent.