Review: the beginning of a beautiful story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 4, 2014
I wasn't sure what to expect from this story when I started it. Reviews seemed to be very mixed, but I was interested enough to read it for myself. I'm glad I did. This story is heavy and dark and very raw. There were times when it was difficult to read because I know that this story is all too true for far too many people. That being said, the author handled the topic of rape with extreme grace and courage. She did not sugar coat the situation. This was not a story about someone who goes through a horrible ordeal and then gets back up, falls in love and lives happily ever after. At least, that is not where the story is now. The story focuses on what happens before you get back up, on the aftermath of the trauma, on the beginning stages of healing. It is real in it's depiction of the challenges and emotional struggle that follows someone after a traumatic experience. This is an honest account of the many obstacles to the healing process, including a missing support system, victim-blaming, physical and emotional recovery, navigating the legal system and coming to terms with a life of "after."I was horrified by Mia's family and their treatment of her following her rape. I wanted to give her a hug, scream at her parents and throw something at everyone who treated her like a pawn in a game, all at the same time. The emotions in this story are real and they're not pretty, but I felt humbled by being able to share in them because the world Mia is living in exists and it exists for too many beautiful and broken people. Because this is just one part of the story, there isn't a happily ever after. Mia is only just realizing how deeply her experienced has rocked her, how much her world has shifted. This story is just the beginning, so there is a lot to process without knowing that everything will end up ok, but there is a glimmer of hope in Dom and some of the other secondary characters we are only just getting to know. With that in mind, I know I want to finish this journey with Mia and I encourage others to share in her story too.