Review: Uplifiting Portrayal of Addicition
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2012
Forgiving Trinity by Liz Reinhardt is an honest look at drug addiction and how complicated recovery can be. The story centers around Trinity McCabe, a high school junior who spent the better part of her middle and high school years in a drug-induced blur. We meet Trinity as she returns from an extended visit at her uncle's house, where she was sent to begin sobering up after she caused a car accident and let someone else take the blame. Armed with a clearer head than she's had in years, Trinity must face her family, schoolmates, and reconnecting with life. Luckily, Trinity gets a lot of support from her parents, brother, therapist, and--oddly enough--Aidan, the boy who took the blame for her.Aidan ends up being a continuous source of support, friendship, and, eventually, romance for Trinity. Heading back to school knowing that everyone is talking about you behind your back and pre-judging you while trying to avoid an older crowd of friends as you attempt to cultivate new friendships is an amazingly daunting task. Most people in this situation could use an Aidan in the corner, although, sadly, I think true Aidans are fewer than they should be. Without the constant reassurance he gives Trinity, even when she tries to refuse it, I can't imagine anyone settling into their new mindset and life as comfortably as she does. As the relationship between Trinity and Aidan grows, he also becomes too perfect, so I was happy to eventually see some chinks in his shining armor. (Don't forget to check out my interview with Aidan!)While I have never had to recover from an addiction, I know people who have and I think that Trinity's experience is an excellent depiction of the conflicting emotions and issues that arise for both the addict and his or her loved ones. I also enjoyed Trinity's interactions with her brother, Christian, since many stories of addiction focus on the addict's relationships with parents, spouses, and children, and while a sibling relationship is not as "important" as those I just listed, brothers and sisters are as affected by addiction as the rest of the family.Even though Trinity had a large support group to help her as she rediscovers herself, I liked that she was strong in her own right. The story description on Goodreads makes it sound as if she makes a huge, horrible mistake, which I did not find to be true at all. She does make some mistakes and is far from perfect, but Trinity's poor decisions are fairly minor in the grand scheme of things. The lack of a huge bad decision did not ruin the story for me at all, however; it made Trinity's experiences ring all the more true. Outside of Hollywood, it is rare that one poor decision is truly a "disaster," especially when you are a fairly privileged high schooler.For an uplifting look at a girl fighting her addictions and winning, check out Forgiving Trinity. The emotions and issues surrounding recovery are accurately portrayed and Trinity's love interest is a total sweetheart.I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review with my honest opinions--that's it.