Reminiscent of THE CRUCIBLE and THE SCARLET LETTER, this startlingly brilliant book draws you into the claustrophic world that Judith occupies, where those in a small community are quick to judge - and usually wrongly. Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. two years later, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by her friends and family.Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to her childhood friend, Lucas. He is the boy who has owned her heart for as long as she can remember - even if he doesn't know it.But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose - to continue living in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.told in a voice that is achingly raw and intimate, this remarkably original novel will haunt and stay with you. It will fill you with Judith's passion and longing, and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last one.Ages: 12+'Every now and then, a novel comes along with such an original voice that readers slow down to savor the poetic prose. this is such a story. A tale of uncommon elegance, power and originality.'KIRKUS StARRED REVIEW
This book will make someone pause and consider what they might do in someone else's situation. Judith cannot speak. But she wasn't always this way and the past that took her voice is heavy within her. With puritan-like neighbors, she is considered cursed and judged accordingly. She may be mute but she is as sharp as a whip and longs for love just as any other. To me, this was not just a story, but a work of art. Julie Berry successfully offers historical fiction, a smidgen of romance, a tad of mystery and a dose of authentic drama, offering a bit of everything to the vast majority of readers, all in second person narrative nonetheless! There are aspects of this book that are risky in regards to the standards of literature, but it works. And it's good.
