The Protected

by Claire Zorn

A tender story of grief, trust and healing a| Hannah broke my heart.' AJ Betts I have three months left to call Katie my older sister. Then the gap will close and I will pass her. I will get older. But Katie will always be fifteen, eleven months and twenty - one days old. Hannah's world is in pieces and she doesn't need the school counsellor to tell her she has deep - seated psychological issues. With a seriously depressed mum, an injured dad and a dead sister, who wouldn't have problems? Hannah should feel terrible but for the first time in ages, she feels a glimmer of hope and isn't afraid anymore. Is it because the elusive Josh is taking an interest in her? Or does it run deeper than that? In a family torn apart by grief and guilt, one girl's struggle to come to terms with years of torment shows just how long old wounds can take to heal.

• ISBN13: 9780702250194
• Publish Date: 23 July 2014 (first published 1 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: AU
• Imprint: University of Queensland Press
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 264
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Me and grief books are always a good match, and this one did not disappoint. So many feels and other complicated feeling felt as I devoured this book.



Pro: So. Many. Feels. I knew this would be emotional, but it was more than I expected.

Pro: The story structure employed by Zorn was well used. The places where she chose to flip between the past and the present were wisely selected, and added to the over all tension and mystery in the story.

Con: Katie was a huge disappointment. There were so many times she could have redeemed herself, but didn't. I was disappointed in Charlotte too, but I think I was supposed to feel this way about both these characters.

Pro: I really felt like Zorn dug deep into the strained relationship between Katie and Hannah. It was raw and honest, and although Hannah had reasons to be angry at Katie, deep down, she loved her, and I appreciated that Zorn let us see those parts too.

Pro: Anne was a rockstar of a therapists. I loved her candor and approach and I was so happy fate brought her and Hannah together.

Pro: I related to Hannah on so many levels. My sister was popular and I was bullied, and I know she considered me a burden.

Pro: Josh was a wonderful little muffin of a boy. Hannah was a tough customer, but he kept coming back and trying to scale her walls, however he treaded lightly, knowing when to push and when to recede.

Pro: The banter between Josh and Hannah was fantastic. With each interaction, I hoped for them to have more and more time on page together.

Con: This was a solid 4.5 star read for me, until the ending. I could have used a little more there. Zorn was so gracious, and gave me so many gifts towards the end of the book, but the very end was just ok.

Pro: This book takes place in a non-US setting (Australia). I liked all the little local bits Zorn fed to me, and enjoyed learning more about the Blue Mountains.

Pro: Mrs. Van was a little powerhouse. I love that she spoke her mind and shared her story with Hannah. She was a positive force for this family, and I was so happy she was around to help push them through their funk.

Overall: Simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, this was a beautiful story of healing, moving forward, and finding the strength inside oneself to accomplish those things.

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[Kelly]

4½ Stars.
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/07/the-protected-by-claire-zorn.html
Claire Zorn, you are incredible. I absolutely loved Claire's dystopian, The Sky so Heavy and The Protected is absolutely brilliant. The characters are beautifully intricate, well developed with a raw and realistic quality. Claire allows each narrative to deliver their thoughts with a sassy and sarcastic wit, which is not only clever, but allows the reader to relate and invest in her characters through humour. The Protected follows the same premise, but explores the heartbreak of losing a family member, the breakdown of the family unit who are grieving and learning to live again.

While my heart ached for Hannah, I absolutely adored Josh. Even though he was aware of Hannah's grief, he never felt the need to console or tread lightly around the discussion of Katie's passing. He was a symbol of hope that Hannah was able to use as her anchor, as well as school counselor Anna. Anna was brilliant. A no nonsense woman who Hannah also felt connection to while her world was caving in. While both parents seemingly struggled to live for the daughter that lived, both were too consumed by grief and guilt to worry how Hannah was fairing.

It was an amazing story told in shades of grey, proving that grief is a personal journey to which we all endure individually. Claire Zorn is one of Australia's young adult authors that all authors should take note of. She can captivate an audience, paint us into her world with characters that stay with us long after the final page is read.