Thursday, June 17, 2010

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Kendra was sexually abused and is still recovering years later. She doesn't remember the face of her abuser, but slowly her memories are coming back. Kendra doesn't think she has the time it'll take for her memories to return--someone's following her. And threatening her to keep silent.

All Kendra has is her art. But her artwork is getting more expressive of the trauma she's going through, trauma that she cuts to forget. Her artwork also leads her to Meghan, a girl whom Kendra can relate to. Soon she finds herself wanting to talk about everything that's happened to her. And her abuser ups the stakes to keep her quiet.

A very intense book. Kendra's pain is real and visual. Her cutting is well-described so it can be hard to read. Not reading it would be the real tragedy. This is a book everyone should read to understand what the victims of sexual abuse go through, and how inadequate most of the help for them really is. Heartbreaking, realistic, and emotional.

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