Somewhere Only We Know
Bri Marino, Morissa Schwartz, GenZ Publishing
language
(GenZ Publishing, Nov. 18, 2016)
Life used to be beautiful for twelve-year-old Frankie. There were days filled with sunshine and laughter, when her afternoons were spent in the forest clearing behind her house, sitting beneath the beautiful linden tree which swayed gentle in the breeze. Hours passed in the company of good books, her smiling friends Lindsey and Miranda, and her loving older sister Susan… with them by her side, the presence of God was felt in all of his beautiful creation. Happiness soaked into every blade of grass, and each and every breath seemed to be spent in utter joy.But that was a different time, before the day her mother took her own life. After that moment, the bliss of Frankie’s youth trickled away, running from her fingers like the water in the brook she once played in. Lindsey’s laughter fell silent, and she stopped talking. Miranda began lying, and taking interest only in the boys who passed through the town. Susan gave up on her dreams of love, packed her romance novels into a moldy old box, hid them away, and stopped eating. Frankie spiralled downwards - her schoolwork slipped down a dangerous slope, and her father… well, her father started doing things to her which felt a million miles from the content of her romantic novels. The forest clearing fell dark, and pain permeated everything.This is a hard-hitting YA novel, exploring the heartbreaking realities of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. As Frankie struggles to make sense of the pain of her existence and the violence her life continues to bring, her friends also find themselves battling with their own demons, their own experiences of abuse. To open up, escape the pain, and find a place of peace in their lives seems ever harder with each new day, and Somewhere Only We Know delves deeply into the darkest corners of YA existence. However, despite the agony, the scars, the silence and the defeat, this astonishing young adults novel maintains that hope burns in even the darkest places, and stories exist to be shared, told, and learned from. YA novel which explores the pain of abuse and suffering: -an exploration of the darkness within Frankie’s family life-This young adults novel is an eye-opening account of the struggles of young womanhood-Offering comfort to those dealing with more than they can handle