Review: I can identify with Beth
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 28, 2012
Butterface by Gwen Hayes is a book about a girl I can understand.Elizabeth Anderson was born with Hemifacial Microsamia, a facial deformity. She had managed to not be inundated with the kidney and hear problems that plagued some patients with this birth defect. Often, "they" would say she was lucky.  In Beth's mind, lucky people aren't born with facial deformities. She keeps her hair messy as a curtain to help hid the scars from the deformity. She had learned how to hide the asymmetry of her face by camouflaging it with the hair in different ways, how she held her neck, her cheek. Anything that would soften the profile she had.Lucas O'Leary, better known as Lucky is one of the University's star soccer players, who lives with six of his teammates, rather than at the dorms on campus. He's spending a lot of time at Bing's Diner, because it was open all night and served breakfast 24/7. Several of Lucky's teammates show up at the diner one night and suggest that he take Liz to the "Dog Dance."I related to how Beth felt, as I was born with a uni-lateral cleft lip, a cleft palate, and have scars and a flattened nose as a result of the surgeries. I remember going home I tears after not only kids but teachers made fun of me and my speech impediment. How Ms. Hayes managed to show us so quickly, and satisfactorily the two main characters and get us to like them is a testament to her writing ability.This story will leave you with a smile, and hopefully, you'll be drawn to learn more about Hemifacial Microsamia as I was.This book receives a ****1/2 from me. Thank you, Gwen, for writing a story about an imperfect looking heroine.Note: I purchased this book through Smashwords rather than Amazon.