Review: A Good Examination of Effects of Abuse on Innocent Victims
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 5, 2013
Owen and Maria are two university students, both afraid to let themselves be open and outgoing.  Maria has panic attacks as she hands in completed test papers because the teacher's assistant looks at her.  Owen tries to hide himself from the world, but his roommate pushes him out to fun public venues, where Maria is also pushed to visit with her very best friend, Tina.  With Maria never talking about being molested and threatened in the past, and Owen never talks about the deadly abuse he continues to suffer at the hands of his father, the two tentatively find a bond that is tested through events that neither foresees, events that allows them to venture out a bit more than they could do alone.  The real challenge, though is for each of them to face their fears, to find the courage to live life the way "normal" people seem to do.This is a good story for young people wanting to know more about the effects of abuse on young people, to learn how the experiences tend to isolate and hurt people far beyond the actual acts.  It depicts the strength found in true friends, and it gives a silent message that sometimes families are formed with people we meet rather than the people we live with in our childhood.An excellent story for young readers who want to know more about how the world works, it is less than exciting for older adults, who have most likely learned not only the lessons the book relates, but who know that there is so much more to life stories than this tale would tell.  It is a story that lacks some of the depth of description that would provide a rich storytelling style, but even the superficial descriptions get the job done. While there is good plot development, the style is that of a writer that will be stupendous with just a bit more effort and experience that could likely bring out the depths that are hinted at in, for instance, Tina's character.This book will encourage the reader to finish this story and seek more works by Nadia Simonenko, and this book clearly reflects the author's clear understanding of the devastation that abuse can reek on innocent victims, both female and male.