WHEN A SILENCE IS BROKEN
For a young adult novel, this book is really impressive.
Don’t get me wrong, it definitely reads Young Adult, as it should since that’s the intended audience. But there were times when I found the Young Adult label annoying, probably because I’m in my thirties, although that’s my problem and not the book’s! Overall, I found the entire story extremely believable – the main character Mara’s inner struggle, to believe her friend or her brother, was masterfully handled. This book is a character study of what happens when someone takes away your agency. When someone close takes away someone else’s. In other words when you have to choose between family and friendship.
I was blown away by the last third of the book, in fact I cried non stop until the very end. The author really brought all the elements together and tied them into a neat bow. I was very satisfied. I also appreciated the queer rep – bisexual, lesbian, even nonbinary. These are young people growing up and making mistakes. Young people who go through the motions of existing in a world that is made to silence them. Young people who all deal with trauma differently.
The trigger warning is obvious – be careful if you’re a survivor of sexual assault. But know that it’s been mindfully and sensitively handled. It gives the agency back to those who were silenced, while also acknowledging that it’s not as easy as that. Acknowledging the truth that there’s no going back, but that doesn’t mean there’s no going forward either.
This is a very beautiful and important book. To me, it’s definitely worth 4 stars although to the world, especially to young people, it’s worth 5. I think school libraries should stock Girl Made of Stars. As a psychologist, I think it’s the best young adult book about sexual abuse. The author deserves a huge thanks for writing about such an incredibly important subject.
Reviewed by Violeta Nedkova
