Abuse
contains alcoholism, death, abuse and drug abuse
Written by Jennifer Mathieu
Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Family
336 Pages
Published 10th September 2019
Thanks to Hachette Australia
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★★★★
How can one family have so many secrets?
It's the summer of 1986. Joaquin and Elena, two teenage siblings live in a toxic environment with their alcoholic mother on an island off the Texas Gulf Coast.
Elena falls for a new boy who has just arrived from California. Joaquin must wrestle with his decision to stay on Mariposa Island to protect his sister or flee from his mother's abuse.
As both teenagers struggle to figure out who they are and want to be, they are caught in a web of family dysfunction and secrets from their mother's past.
Can fierce love save them, or will their truth tear them apart?
During the nineteen eighties, Mariposa Island is a summer playground for the wealthy and frivolous, for siblings Joaquin and Elena Finney, it's home. Under the vigilant and suspicious scrutiny of their mother, Joaquin is allowed to socialise with friends without a curfew, Elena is only given permission to leave the house accompanied by Joaquin and to work minding children for a wealthy family on the island that visits during summer each year. Her Mami warning Elena of menacing boys who will leave her in ruins. Elena is expected to tend to their small, ramshackle home while her alcoholic mother seethes about her own life, the breakdown of her marriage and her life as a pampered debutante in Havana during the rise of the Communist Party and Fidel Castro.
Caridad de la Guardia was the only child of attentive parents, wealthy socialites of Havana, cherished by her parents, treasured by her housemaid and revered by her island community. As a young woman, Caridad was removed from her home and sent to the United States under the guise of an education during the Cuban Revolution. Fostered by an American family, Caridad despised being abandoned by her parents and learning to communicate in English. Her only means of escapism was to fall in love with an American boy and create a life similar to her opulent lifestyle in Havana. Now living on the Island, Caridad seeks companionship in alcohol and reminding her children of their own father's abandonment.
Mariposa Island thrives on secrets and untruths, of tangled lives and manipulation. Told from the perspectives of Caridad as a child living in Havana and siblings Elena and Joaquin, presently residents of the island, the narrative explores family and tangled lives of deception.
Now a parent with two children on the pinnacle of adulthood, Caridad's nonlinear narrative fluctuates between carefree child and the hostile, vitriolic woman she's become. An alcoholic and an abuser. Her children are a reminder of the life she believes she was cruelly denied, her parents sending her to the United States to escape the Cuban Revolution and unbeknown to Caridad, saving her life. She's hostile towards her foster parents, an American family who care for Caridad despite her growing resentment.
Joaquin and Elena have never known their father, only the distant memory of the man their mother continuously reiterates that abandoned his young family. Elena is a sheltered young woman, suffocating under the judgemental scrutiny of her mother and a peacekeeper, simmering arguments between Joaquin and their mother while yearning for her mother's approval. Joaquin is independent and often challenges their mother, confronting her about her alcoholism and the animosity she holds for her children. Although siblings, Elena and Joaquin live parallel lives. Joaquin is employed in a local family restaurant and Elena is a casual nanny for the Callahan family each summer and her only means of escape from her mother's tyranny. Joaquin is the preferable Finney sibling and although he despises his mother, he's fond of Elena and encourages her to defend herself.
Elena begins sneaking out during her mother's drunken unconsciousness to see her boyfriend, a nineteen year old staying in town for the summer. Manipulated and exploited by an older, experienced man, Elena has become reckless and abandons her best friend. When Elena's and Caridad's lies begin to unravel, it becomes apparent that Joaquin's survival depends on escaping the island. No longer able to live with the lies and deception. He's suffocating.
I was captivated by the intensity of the narrative and their tangled deception. Elena was an unreliable narrator, her untruths had become her reality and I was swept along by her dishonesty. I believed her. Caridad's alcoholism to escape her reality is distressing, disregarding her own children while reminiscing about her life in Havana and regretting the life she's been saddled with. Lies layered upon untruths and manipulation, it was a toxic and vicious cycle that was destroying Elena's, Caridad's and Joaquin's lives.
Jennifer Mathieu is a remarkable storyteller, I was captivated by the Finney family and their entwined deception and betrayal. To put it bluntly, they're fucked, they'll fuck you up and you'll enjoy every fucking moment.
Trigger warning. This book contains a rape scene and victim intimidation.
Written by Anne Cassidy
Contemporary, Abuse, Mature Themes
Published January 2017
183 Pages
Thank you to Bonnier and Allen & Unwin
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★★★☆
My name is Stacey Woods and I was raped.
Stacey Woods is a seventeen year old girl who works hard at school and who tries to manage a complicated family set up. After a row she storms out. She meets Harry Connaught who seems to be everything she wants in a boy. But Harry has other plans for Stacey.
Stacey is the victim of a terrible sexual attack. She does not feel able to go to the police, or talk about it to anybody other than her best friend, Patrice. Patrice, outraged, when she cannot persuade her to go to the police, encourages Stacey to write everything down.
This is Stacey's story.
Stacey is a quiet, shy young woman who's petite and often forgotten. Since her younger sister became a mother at the tender age of fourteen, Stacey is often manipulated into caring for her child and pushed aside by her mother who has an inclination towards her younger sibling. Once a reprieve, her father's partner seems to scarcely tolerate his children and lately her closest confidant Patrice has been spending time with another, leaving Stacey feeling discarded and alone.
He's charming, charismatic and offers the seventeen year old refuge. Feeling resentful and rebellious, Stacey accepts his hospitality. Harry is endearing, attentive and is the perfect gentleman, luring Stacey into a false sense of security.
The reader is introduced to Stacey as a frustrated seventeen year old, a young woman living in the shadow of friend Patrice and placated by her mother who rationalises her younger sibling's behaviour. Stacey is demoralised by her sister and her feelings disregarded, ultimately compelling her to seek solace by temporarily leaving home. Stacey is demure and quietly spoken, sitting in the small coffee house sketching patrons when she's approached by the charming and handsome Harry. Their attraction is undeniable, so when Harry offers Stacey refuge, she accepts. An act of defiance against her mother.
No Virgin isn't a contemporary romance, although Harry's charisma will lure readers into a false sense of security. Stacey's narrative is veracious and compelling. Preceding the sexual assault, Stacey feels a compulsion towards Harry as he's attractive, alluring and compassionate. He's also a predator. The impact of Stacey's sexual assault is profound and confronting. She's incapable of verbalising the trauma of rape and at Patrice's suggestion, documents her experience.
Although No Virgin is an incredibly poignant and crucial narrative, I couldn't understand Stacey's attraction to Harry after the assault and unfortunately, those psychological elements were not explored. The event progression before the assault felt inconsequential, compared to the sexual assault and emotional impact. I would have preferred to have the emotional turmoil and justice explored for not only Stacey's character, but teens who may have experienced sexual assault themselves.
No Virgin is the harrowing, traumatic and compelling narrative of seventeen year old Stacey, the victim of Rape.My Thoughts. Mild Spoilers Ahead
The reader is introduced to Stacey as a frustrated seventeen year old, a young woman living in the shadow of friend Patrice and placated by her mother who rationalises her younger sibling's behaviour. Stacey is demoralised by her sister and her feelings disregarded, ultimately compelling her to seek solace by temporarily leaving home. Stacey is demure and quietly spoken, sitting in the small coffee house sketching patrons when she's approached by the charming and handsome Harry. Their attraction is undeniable, so when Harry offers Stacey refuge, she accepts. An act of defiance against her mother.
No Virgin isn't a contemporary romance, although Harry's charisma will lure readers into a false sense of security. Stacey's narrative is veracious and compelling. Preceding the sexual assault, Stacey feels a compulsion towards Harry as he's attractive, alluring and compassionate. He's also a predator. The impact of Stacey's sexual assault is profound and confronting. She's incapable of verbalising the trauma of rape and at Patrice's suggestion, documents her experience.
After the rape I didn't leave straight away. I was so shocked. I stayed in the bathroom with the door locked. I sat on the floor beside the toilet and felt the cold tiles against my legs, my toes curled on the ceramic floor.The trauma Stacey experiences is palatable. As a victim of sexual assault, Stacey internalises her trauma and only confides in Patrice about the incident, leading to writing down the precursor that lead to that moment. Experiencing remorse, despondency and insecurity, Stacey reflects on her brief relationship with Harry and impact of the assault isn't truly realised until she begins to revisit the incident through her written words. I was enraged how the perpetrator normalised the sexual assault, maintaining she was an active participant. Much in the same way rape culture perpetuates that the victim is at fault, rather than placing the blame upon the predator.
The story, once I'd written it and read it over a few times, was like a testament to my own stupidity. How could I have been so naive, so swept up in my own romantic daydreams, not to realise that there was a subtext to what was happening?Patrice was an incredible support for Stacey, persevering with gentle suggestions to speak to a crisis councilor and report the assault.
Although No Virgin is an incredibly poignant and crucial narrative, I couldn't understand Stacey's attraction to Harry after the assault and unfortunately, those psychological elements were not explored. The event progression before the assault felt inconsequential, compared to the sexual assault and emotional impact. I would have preferred to have the emotional turmoil and justice explored for not only Stacey's character, but teens who may have experienced sexual assault themselves.
Written by Kathleen Glasgow
Contemporary, Mental Health, Realistic Fiction
Published September 19th 2016
416 Pages
Thank you to Harper Collins Australia
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★★★★★
Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At eighteen she's already lost more than most people lose in a lifetime. But she's learned how to forget it. The thick glass of a mason jar cuts deep and the pain washes out the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don't have to think about your father and the bridge. Your best friend who is gone forever. Or your mother who has nothing left to give you. Every new scar hardens Charlie's heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen to find your way back from the edge.Charlotte Davis mourns for the life she's never known. A life without loss, without abuse and for the love she so desperately deserves. Charlie has endured the loss of her father, an abusive mother and Ellis, a friend who attempted to take her own life. Within the confined walls of the institute, Charlie sits alone, silent and sharing her story through art. Charlie is parasuicidal, self harming to ease the emotional suffering of living on the streets and being sold into sexual slavery.
I cut because I can't deal. It's as simple as that. The world becomes an ocean, the ocean washes over me, the sound of water is deafening, the water drowns my heart, my panic becomes as large as planets. I need release, I need to hurt myself more than the world can hurt me, and then I can comfort myself.
Charlie's physical wounds have healed and although emotionally vulnerable, funding is no longer available for treatment and the seventeen year old is released, supposedly into her mothers care. With a bus ticket and her birth certificate, Charlie is on her way to Arizona, her relationship with her mother damaged beyond repair. Michael is a former friend and has offered Charlie a home, rarely extended to damaged girls who feel they're undeserving of love.
Charlie is determined to forge a new path in the world, toiling for minimum wage at a local coffee house with the charming and charismatic Riley, a former musician who provides Charlie with kindness and tenderness. It's Riley that threatens Charlie's recovery. He's an alcoholic and drug dependant, manipulating the young woman to enable his addition.
Overwhelmed and afflicted, Charlie begins regress until a small act of kindness provides Charlie with a lifeline. With hope. And most of all, a reason to live again, not merely survive.
Charlie's narrative is poignant yet incredibly captivating. The reader is introduced to Charlie's character as she is brought into the institute, bleeding and abandoned after trying to end her own life. Her grief and longing are palpable, my heart ached for Charlie and her sense of abandonment. Self harm is her coping mechanism, using broken fragile pieces of mason glass to lacerate her arms, mutilating her body as tenderly as she creates her art. Charlie may have recovered from her physical anguish but her emotional scars remain and she becomes a fatality of the mental health system, the institute no longer able to treat the seventeen year old due to the lack of financial aide and releases her into the care of a mother who has no intention to care for her daughter.
Charlie's journey is confronting. Her Tender Kit she holds dear but determined to not only survive but flourish against adversity which begins with the kindness of Michael. Although Michael and Charlie were once friends, Michael can only provide Charlie with the bare necessities to survive while he's away. With a warm bed and the security of Michael's bungalow, Charlie's employment search finds her washing dishes at a small coffee house where Riley is regrettably employed.
The charismatic and charming Riley, a former musician whose life is a calamity of alcohol fuelled drug dependency, provides Charlie with a tenderness of a physical relationship beyond the confines of an intimacy. While Charlie begins to rebuild her life, Riley's addiction threatens to consume him. Riley was an interesting character. Although I didn't particularly like his character, it felt as though so many in his life enabled his drug and alcohol abuse and he held an heir of entitlement. Their relationship was toxic, but an incredibly important pinnacle in Charlie's journey.
Kathleen Glasgow's debut is courageous and unapologetic. Mental illness and addiction are often lifelong issues that so many in our community confront. Charlie's journey of healing is anguished, confronting and proving that even fictionally, there is no antidote.
Charlie was beautiful yet so incredibly brave. The story of a girl who longs to feel loved, to feel safe and still dares to hope for what so many take for granted. Dark and captivating, Girl In Pieces is a narrative to be cherished.
Overwhelmed and afflicted, Charlie begins regress until a small act of kindness provides Charlie with a lifeline. With hope. And most of all, a reason to live again, not merely survive.
Girl in Pieces is momentous, a narrative beautifully written with tenderness, emotion and conviction. Kathleen Glasgow is a remarkable author, drawing on her own experiences to lend voice to Charlie, a girl who feels irrevocably tarnished and uses self harm to soothe her emotional ache. Charlie's character represents so many young women within our communities. Girls who have been abused, who haven't been afforded the opportunity of a loving family, to experience kindness or sanctuary. After her father was cruelly taken from her, her mother became her tormentor and precursor.My Thoughts
Charlie's narrative is poignant yet incredibly captivating. The reader is introduced to Charlie's character as she is brought into the institute, bleeding and abandoned after trying to end her own life. Her grief and longing are palpable, my heart ached for Charlie and her sense of abandonment. Self harm is her coping mechanism, using broken fragile pieces of mason glass to lacerate her arms, mutilating her body as tenderly as she creates her art. Charlie may have recovered from her physical anguish but her emotional scars remain and she becomes a fatality of the mental health system, the institute no longer able to treat the seventeen year old due to the lack of financial aide and releases her into the care of a mother who has no intention to care for her daughter.
Charlie's journey is confronting. Her Tender Kit she holds dear but determined to not only survive but flourish against adversity which begins with the kindness of Michael. Although Michael and Charlie were once friends, Michael can only provide Charlie with the bare necessities to survive while he's away. With a warm bed and the security of Michael's bungalow, Charlie's employment search finds her washing dishes at a small coffee house where Riley is regrettably employed.
The charismatic and charming Riley, a former musician whose life is a calamity of alcohol fuelled drug dependency, provides Charlie with a tenderness of a physical relationship beyond the confines of an intimacy. While Charlie begins to rebuild her life, Riley's addiction threatens to consume him. Riley was an interesting character. Although I didn't particularly like his character, it felt as though so many in his life enabled his drug and alcohol abuse and he held an heir of entitlement. Their relationship was toxic, but an incredibly important pinnacle in Charlie's journey.
Kathleen Glasgow's debut is courageous and unapologetic. Mental illness and addiction are often lifelong issues that so many in our community confront. Charlie's journey of healing is anguished, confronting and proving that even fictionally, there is no antidote.
Kathleen Glasgow is a remarkable woman who has breathed life into her characters through her own experiences, exposing herself so that others may find empowerment. Girl In Pieces was beautifully lyrical, yet dark and confronting, rarely seen in young adult novels. I commend Kathleen for her courage, composure and her ability to create a character who readers will see themselves within.The Final Verdict
Charlie was beautiful yet so incredibly brave. The story of a girl who longs to feel loved, to feel safe and still dares to hope for what so many take for granted. Dark and captivating, Girl In Pieces is a narrative to be cherished.
Breaking Butterflies
Written by M. Anjelais
Published in Australia June 2014
257 Pages
Thank you to Scholastic Australia and Chicken House
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Published in Australia June 2014
257 Pages
Thank you to Scholastic Australia and Chicken House
Add to Goodreads
The closest he will ever come to happiness is when he's hurting her. Will she let him? A beautiful and twisted story of first love and innocence lost, written when the author was just eighteen.
Sphinxie and Cadence. Promised to each other in childhood. Drawn together again as teens. Sphinxie is sweet, compassionate, and plain. Cadence is brilliant, charismatic. Damaged. And diseased. When they were kids, he scarred her with a knife. Now, as his illness progresses, he becomes increasingly demanding. She wants to be loyal, but fears for her life. Only the ultimate sacrifice will give this love an ending.
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