Not ever,” and a chillingly believable death threat. In the three years following Eden’s brutal rape by her brother’s best friend, Kevin, she descends into anger, isolation, and promiscuity.Įden’s silence about the assault is cemented by both Kevin’s confident assurance that if she tells anyone, “No one will ever believe you. This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her-who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves-Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. Isaak does not describe himself, though he does describe other characters' appearances, including skin color.Ī fascinating premise and plenty of action will attract fans who have patience for all the many extra threads.Īfter surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself. Isaak’s frequently overwrought first-person narrative is complemented by related stories that introduce other characters and lend history and context but detract from the pull of his story, making it difficult for readers to be fully involved in it and its themes of humanity, love, and connectedness. It turns out he’s a Robot, created, he is told, in a secret project to create a race of synthetic humans meant to be “soldiers, designed to spare human casualties in future wars.” As he and a band of allies in the Underground are pursued by Sheriffs intent on reclaiming them, Isaak realizes he has unusual powers that make him dangerous. Isaak has always felt disconnected and alone, and now he must begin a journey in search of himself. Continuing the narrative of a created boy is Isaak, adopted into a family in a tiny Ozarks town and now kicked out of the house by his adoptive mother, who sees him as a monster. “There once was a boy / Who was made, not created” begins the song on “8Bit Heart” (2010), Curtis’ first album. The first of a planned trilogy by recording artist Curtis, this debut novel continues themes from his early song of the same title.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |