Review: Wonderful debut story!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 10, 2012
When people look at Lucy, they see a beautiful, vivacious girl.But it's just a mask she wears. A mask to hide her pain, like the long sleeves and make-up she wears to hide the bruises.Bruises left by Charles, her father.It hadn't always been like this. They'd been happy once, when her mother was still alive. Now, Charles is a mean, abusive drunk and he blames Lucy for her mother's death. After all, she was on her way to pick up Lucy when the drunk driver smashed into her car, killing her.Now everything is wrong. Her self-esteem is shattered and she's afraid to trust anyone. The only one she let's past her defensive walls is Tess, her best friend since grade school. But even Tess doesn't know her secret.Lucy's never had a boyfriend, never been in love, but she yearns for it. If only she could be like a normal teen-age girl.If there is anyone she could tell her secret to, it would be Ian. But as much as she likes him, she can't bring herself to tell him the truth.Ian's the pastor's son, captain of the football team, and every girl at school is crushing on him. He also has a secret. He's been in love with Lucy since the first time they met. They were four years old and she kissed him on the cheek.He's seen her bruises, old ones and new ones. Someone she's close to is abusing her, but Ian's not sure if it's her dad.Should he tell someone? Wouldn't that be betraying Lucy's trust.My heart went out to Lucy. She had her good days, especially when she was with Tess or Ian. She could almost believe everything was normal, was as it should be. Then the memories would sneak up on her, never letting her forget.Then there's Ian. He's in a difficult situation. I'm sure teenagers have been in Ian's and Lucy's shoes. I wish it wasn't so.As for Charles. It's sad and ironic that he becomes an abusive drunk. After all, a drunk driver was the cause of all his anguish. Instead of grieving and healing with his daughter, he uses the very thing that caused all this to numb his pain.It's very hard to feel sorry for a drunk. Everything about them can be so repulsive.The author knows how to write about a tough subject and writing this story from Lucy's and Ian's points of view enables you to see how abuse has many victims, like ripples in a pond.Having Lucy refer to her father as Charles shows how she doesn't recognize him as her father any longer. She doesn't know this monster.I really enjoyed reading about the budding romance between Lucy and Ian. It had me smiling and remembering the sweetness and intensity of first love. I was really pulling for these two and was happy that Lucy had someone on her side.I usually avoid reading about abuse, but I'm glad I read Don't Tell. Mercy Amare showed me why someone wouldn't or couldn't tell anyone about being abused, and she told it in an entertaining and enlightening manner. While this is a story of darkness, there is also light, the shining light of love, friendship, hope and letting go!