And then suddenly, her Uncle Judd enters the equation, fondling her breast and turning his love of photography into a vehicle of abuse and blackmail for future secret meetings. Suddenly North's experimentations are tinged with confusions about her arousals. Sexuality is fragile because it requires so much trust to give one's body to another. Feelings from infancy are stirred up. Being both loving and sexually intimate is difficult for many people and it's so important to being fully human.
Children are easy prey for predators.
To rebuild what's lost can take a lifetime. Both authors share the gift of words and story weaving. Dessen takes carefully selected detailing and wraps it up with life philosophy in pithy phraseology. Variety of thoughtfulness and humor make for a balanced and rhythmic read. Benz's novel shows also careful attention to detail.