At 14, Turtle Alveston knows the use of every gun on her wall. She knows how to snare a rabbit, sharpen a blade and splint a bone. She knows that her daddy loves her more than anything else in this world and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her with him.
But she doesn’t know why she feels so different from the other girls at school; why the line between love and pain can be so hard to see. Or why making a friend may be the bravest and most terrifying thing she has ever done.
Sometimes the people you’re supposed to trust are the ones who do most harm. And what you’ve been taught to fear is the very thing that will save you…
I did not enjoy this book in the slightest, but to be fair, I don't think I was supposed to "enjoy" it. Throughout, it was just so supremely disturbing that I feel as if I missed any underlying themes or motifs. I don't even want to reflect on it because it made me feel so uncomfortable. It's a brutal story of physical and sexual abuse, mental torment, and the warped psyche of an tortured child.
I can see why others might enjoy this. It's written well and it is a captivating story on its own. But this is not the kind of book that I typically enjoy, so it's not a surprise that I didn't enjoy it.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Alexis McKenna who was phenomenal. She really brought such an authentic voice to the characters.
In my mind a truly American book: violence, rape, guns and nature. That said this book is what writing should be like. It's like walking on wobbly ground, you're never sure of your footing because you're plunged in a world unknown to you where every step is advancing towards unforseable consequences.
Although the plot of this novel is located a few hundred miles from where I live it draws me in a completely different world both geographically and mentally leaving me fragile and feeling somehow inadequate.
Ultimately, this is a difficult book to rate. Look around here on goodreads. You will see many 5 star AND 1 star reviews. And I totally get that. The story itself is excellent, though challenging. You definitely will be pushed out of your comfort zone. The lush descriptions of the beauty and impersonal natural world juxtaposed with the most depraved and despicable that humanity can create reminds one of Cormac McCarthy at times. Yet, the book is flawed in ways too important to just overlook. This could have easily been a 5 star read for me but I could not ignore some of it's more, to me, egregious shortcomings.
I don't want to get too specific to avoid spoilers. I think if this author had a better editor some of these problems could have easily been addressed without losing any of the intensity and drama that kept one turning the …
Ultimately, this is a difficult book to rate. Look around here on goodreads. You will see many 5 star AND 1 star reviews. And I totally get that. The story itself is excellent, though challenging. You definitely will be pushed out of your comfort zone. The lush descriptions of the beauty and impersonal natural world juxtaposed with the most depraved and despicable that humanity can create reminds one of Cormac McCarthy at times. Yet, the book is flawed in ways too important to just overlook. This could have easily been a 5 star read for me but I could not ignore some of it's more, to me, egregious shortcomings.
I don't want to get too specific to avoid spoilers. I think if this author had a better editor some of these problems could have easily been addressed without losing any of the intensity and drama that kept one turning the pages. The dialog could have been better. And yeah, I understand the main character Turtle did not have much practice at dialog, but still. The violence was over the top and I believe the story would not have been weakened in the slightest by dialing that back a bit. It felt, at times, a little gratuitous not to mention unbelievable. Yeah, we get it. This is how Turtle has been raised... she is tough and resourceful and disciplined. Sort of like a soldier who is able to compartmentalize and stay rational in the face of the enemy. She takes a licking but keeps on ticking. Still, a little restraint on the author's part would have gone a long way. There were some things that happened in the story that seemed a bit far-fetched and unlikely that also could have been dialed back somewhat to make the story itself more plausible. Like, just as an example, Turtle's school experiences seemed kind of implausible- taking guns and knives to school, failing every spelling and vocabulary test then suddenly getting A's. Little things that could have been tightened up to be more believable with a small amount of editing.
All in all, an excellent story. A real page turner. Very difficult to get through some of the scenes between Turtle and her father (ahem). The ending is only what you, in your heart, believe will be the ultimate test for Turtle. The enemy she has been raised to fight will materialize and fight she must. This is a good book, dare I say, excellent even with it's flaws. It's worth a read. But I do understand some people will not like this book. It is in your face with the ugliest humanity can offer.
Disturbing. Beautiful. Frustrating. Disgusting. Exhilarating. Exhausting. I don't know the right words to describe this book. I suppose the obvious comparison would be to Lolita, but the violence and more objective point-of-view of this novel make this a more difficult novel to stomach. At times it's a book that's difficult to read, and at times it's a book that I couldn't put down.
