Uses for Boys

by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

[kimbacaffeinate]

Uses for Boys is not a romance, it’s a dark gritty look into a dysfunctional family and the impact it has on the protagonist. This was not an easy book to read with its dark subject matter and unusual writing style. It touches on sex, rape, drugs, lies, loss, and emotional scars. Anna tries to fill the emptiness she feels with boys. (i.e. sex) It is sad and raw and ugly. She is brave and lonely and I cried for the loss of this young woman's innocence.

Anna does not know who her father is and she is perfectly happy being her mom’s one and only. Anna turns eight and her Mom starts dressing up, going out and bringing home a string of boyfriends, husbands, and step-brothers. She finds herself moving from one new home to another. When the last marriage fails she becomes a latch-key kid. I felt so sorry for Anna and hated her mother;'s selfish ways. I hated that this awkward girl confused abuse and attention from boys as love. Toy was an interesting girlfriend and I loved the way the girls dressed in vintage clothing. For all that Anna does wrong; there is a lot she does right and responsibly.

Scheidt does not paint us a pretty picture; she instead delivers a raw, gritty, dark tale of the darker side of being a teenage girls. It is a painful look at promiscuity and why some girls are drawn to it. It may cause some readers to look twice at the school “slut” While this is labeled young adult, it really pushes the limits and is meant for a much older reader. Sex, abortion and drug use are all present. I would not want my own daughter's exposed to this without a lot of discussion to follow. The tale is told from Anna’s point of view, but there is very little dialogue as we are essentially taking a trip inside her mind as she shares her thoughts, fears and warped reality.
I want to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer