Scars - A glimpse into the world of a tortured soul...

Details

Title: Scars
Author: Cheryl Rainfield
Publisher: WestSide Books
Release Date: May 31st' 2011
Available to order here: Amazon / Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

Synopsis 

Kendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail-- her abuser's identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it's her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who's becoming a friend and maybe more. But the truth about Kendra's abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl's frightening path to the truth.

My Review

When I first saw the blurb for "Scars", I was deeply enchanted by it. I felt like I just HAD to read the book, especially given my own personal history with self-mutilation. I literally hounded the author, (who, by the way, is a complete and total sweetheart - and an immensely compassionate lady!), stalked the book and it's progress until I finally got myself a copy. What I didn't realize was how difficult it got, from there on out.

Day in, and day out, the book sat on the top row of the book-shelf right next to my bed. That's the row reserved for "books to be read ASAP!", and yet, every time I tried to begin reading this novel, the emotions that accompanied the story were all too real for me to face. I have to admit, and apologize, that it took me forever to find the courage to read this novel. But let me tell you this, I am beyond grateful that I did. This novel is one of the BEST books I've read in a very long time.

I must forewarn you as a reader, though, the subject matter of this book (self-mutilation, sexual abuse) is kind of hard to stomach - but I believe it is really important for us to face these issues, and to bring these issues to light. The story is heartbreaking, deeply affecting, extremely suspenseful, masterfully crafted...but above all, it is an important story, that needed telling. It might make you uneasy, or even queasy, but it will also give you a glimpse into the world of a tortured soul. She never sexualized abuse or rape, and did not linger on the actual act, but rather, on how the abuse made the character feel. I am in awe of the way that the author handled the subject matter, and how gingerly and delicately she developed her characters. Cheryl Rainfield has become my favorite, and I will read whatever she writes from here on out. 

My Rating : 5/5 Stars

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book via the author. I was not compensated monetarily, or in any other way, for my opinion. The opinions stated in this review are solely mine, and are not representative of views of the author, or publishing company, of this book. 


IMPORTANT NOTICE: SCARS is FREE just for today, on Amazon.com - so please go and get your copy, RIGHT NOW!!! http://ow.ly/bmQHL 

~Sunday Stew - June 5th, 2011~

Sunday Stew is a Weekly Meme hosted Here at Books Devoured

Bookmark of the Week

I'm still using this card from my Uncle's memorial as a bookmark - as I said in my last week's ~Sunday Stew~ post, I think it'll be a while before I give this one up. Having it tucked between my books feels like I am sharing the story I am reading with him. And that is important to me. Last week, a cousin said to me that she hadn't felt like we were very close to Uncle Paul. And this is true - he was a quite sort of man where the rest of our families are exceptionally loud. In front of his quiet, resolute charm, we all looked like heathens. But, in all honesty, I think that was the case because although he's been in our life for ages, we never quite spend any particular chunk of time with him. That opportunity arose for me last November, and I realized that in spending a mere few days with him, I'd begun to love him. I know, guys...it's been a while, and I should slowly ease up on the grief of it all, and I am sorry if I continue on and on about it. But I am still coming to terms with this loss - so just bear with me just a little longer. Thank you.

Around The Web:

 Avatar created by Novel Novice 

Yesterday, and article appeared in The Wall Street Journal saying that Young Adult novels are too "dark", and berating Young Adult novelists for incorporating taboos like rape, pederasty, self-harm/self-mutilation etc into their work. The journalist goes so far as to say that "publishers use the vehicle of fundamental free-expression principles to try to bulldoze coarseness or misery into their children's lives." 

The article points fingers at some books and authors that I have immense respect for. For example, the article speaks about "Shine" by author Lauren Myracle. The writer of this article believes Myracle doesn't deserve the title of "this generation's Judy Blume" because Blume's work, in comparison to Lauren Myracle's work, at least is "not grotesque." The subject and nature of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was considered grotesque, by many, although it was not even a Young Adult novel - it was an adult novel, with adult themes, and yet many objected to it. But it is considered a must read by many classicists, and is considered an extraordinary novel. I firmly believe that Lauren Myracle's novel, dealing with abuse, rampant homophobia, and friendship is a novel that should be taken notice of, for the boldness of its content, rather than belittled or berated. Judy Blume became legendary not because she talked about teenage issues in a mild manner - she was remembered and revered because she talked about them at all when these things were considered taboo. She spoke freely of the sexual awakening of a young person, and brought it out into the open with her books. Lauren Myracle's "Shine" does exactly the same thing. So yes, Lauren Myracle is most certainly "this generation's Judy Blume."

Also, and this enraged me to no end, was the targeting of author Cheryl Rainfield and her book "Scars" - a novel about the emotional turmoil of a teenager, and her dealing with it by way of self-harm/self-mutilation. If you have ever dealt with author Rainfield, and I have, you know that she is an amazing person. I have never seen her advocate her book, without also advocating Reasons Not To Hurt Yourself. Her blog is chock-full of important information and links for people, both young and old, who may be dealing with issues of self-harm. Her book is aimed towards bringing understanding to a difficult situation - not to promote self-harm/mutilation. She is not sensationalizing self-mutilation, she is simply bringing it out in the open. There are SO many young adults out there who internalize their pain and hurt themselves, as an outlet to their pain. I used to be one of them - and if I felt more comfortable speaking about it, had there been more advocates like Cheryl Rainfield, or perhaps a literary character like Kendra whose story I could refer to - I would have gotten rid of my habit a lot earlier.

Ultimately I believe that the author of this article has NO idea how many ways powerful fiction like this impacts young adults everywhere. We have settled into this notion that our teenagers, our children, are far too fragile to handle the truth. The truth is, the fragility lies within US. We are afraid to expose them, so we try to shelter them, but we're really sheltering ourselves from having a frank discussion about such topics that even make us uncomfortable as adults. But shelter them as we may, they are being exposed to these social issues/difficulties, even without our knowledge. The prevalence of rape, sexual abuse, physical abuse, homophobia, etc is rampant, and talking about it, via books or otherwise, is a good way to educate children, provide them with a sense of acceptance, for themselves and others. Anyhow, enough with my rant - before you are completely bored. There is a movement, now, called #YAsaves on Twitter in protest of the novel, and many are using the avatar above to voice their outage towards this article. Feel free to save the avatar, and use it as your own - but make sure to thank Novel Novice for it in your tweets. 

Around Me: 

 

Okay, I ranted to much about #YAsaves , that there is really not that much left for me to comment about in my "Around Me" section. But I did spend the last couple of days with my mother in another uncle's backyard (I'm housesitting) - gardening, plucking fruit and picking flowers. I just thought I'd share some of my "green-thumbing" pictures with you! :D 

 

 

 This one reminds me a little of the cover of The Postmistress - but maybe I'm just crazy, lol :P

 I know it's sheer blasphemy to choose one as your favorite since they are all so beautiful, but this one was my favorite out of all the favorites! lol :P

 But the smell from this one was unrivaled - I mean, this one rose smelled like a bouquet of roses.

 That was just the result of the first hour or picking and plucking! :)

 So, I created a bouquet, and stuck it in a simple little glass vase to put on my vanity. Needless to say, my room smelled like heaven for a few days! :)

 

 

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this week's ~Sunday Stew~, I definitely enjoyed writing it. Also, if you're a blogger and would like to participate in Sunday Stew, just click the banner at the very top, and viola! :) With this, I conclude yet another intensely LONG Sunday Stew post! Thank you for reading, feel free to leave me any comments/feedback you may like. I wish you a blessed rest of the week, and that you'll continue to visit! :)