I have a confession to make. I avoided reading Scars by Cheryl Rainfield.

I avoided it for so long after getting the book, that I missed posting my review in time to plug the great promotion the author was holding on her website, with apologies to my readers for not posting the link.

Why did I commit this travesty of putting a book aside for so long? Because I knew how hard it would be to read. Exactly how hard. Because really, how could it not be difficult? Just reading the blurbs told me what I needed to know:

"Scars is a brave novel, a read-in-one-sitting-except-when-you-have-to-put-it-down-to-breathe novel." --Ellen Hopkins

"Scars is a painful and well told story, obviously written with the heart's blood of the author. It could prove to be a life-saver for other young victims of abuse and self-harm." --Lois Duncan

This wasn't going to be a quick, easy YA read. These types of books tend to speak aloud--they should--they have a lot to say. What I didn't know before picking up Scars, was exactly how much it would say...no shriek at me. How much of my heart would be ripped out and handed back to me. How much of my outlook would change after this one read. 

Congratulations to Cheryl Rainfield for really digging deep and pulling up the dregs of emotion that exist for those who resort to cutting to mask or alleviate their pain. While I found some of the book to be a bit predictable and overly dramatic, I cannot deny that I mostly found the entire story to be incredibly powerful and  "in your face" in the best sense.

Kendra's fierce determination to find the truth about her abuse and the identity of her abuser is beyond admirable. Her passion for art and need to express herself through that medium bring a likability to Kendra's character.

The book isn't the least bit patronizing. It shows raw emotions & reactions without necessarily explaining specific causes, which allows readers to draw their own conclusions. Ultimately, I have to agree with Ellen Hopkins that this book forces one to stop and breathe. By the time I was done dragging the book everywhere I went, it looked as though it had been through a war. And although I felt as though I'd been through the war with it, I couldn't pretend I wasn't glad I'd read it.

Kudos to the brave main character and to her even more brave creator.

Off to Turn Another Page.... Read the rest of this post