Linda Strong
Jenny is 15 years old. She is happy, has lots of friends, and an eye on a certain boy in her school. She goes to a party with a girlfriend, expecting to see this special guy .. only to find him there with another girl. Being a teenager, she slams down a couple of glasses of vodka and then promptly throws up. Mortified, she runs out of the house and into the woods. What happens next is a brutal assault, rape, and torture. When she becomes aware of her surroundings again, she is in the hospital. During her 'sleep' she undergoes surgery. The doctor tells them there is a new therapy. One injection can erase all her traumatic memories. She will still have the pain and know what has happened to her, but she will have no active memory. Jump 8 months ahead ... Jenny cannot get past what has happened to her. Having no memory of the event is driving her crazy. She winds up in the bathtub with a razor and tries to kill herself. But that is not the end of the story. She and her doctor work on reviving her memories. But how much can you trust what she remembers? Can her memories be corrupted by outside influences? The book is in the psychiatrist's voice. Not only does he tell her story, he also treats her mother and father and tells their stories, as well. Jenny wants her memories .... her father wants the animal that raped his daughter ...her mother wants to just forget it all. There are layers of secrets .. how they see each other. There is guilt and blame enough for everyone. As the story progresses, the reader is treated to any number of suspects, for one reason or another, including someone close to the doctor. Lives are made better ... some lives are destroyed. And some even die. This is an extremely well-written book. I can say whole heartedly, if you read only one book this year ... let it be this one. The ending will blow you away! Many thanks to Cara Johnson / HarperCollins UK who provided an early ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
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