Saturday, September 3, 2011

SCARS by Cheryl Rainfield

Kendra is in therapy trying to deal with issues from her past.  She has only recently been able to admit that she was sexually abuse from an early age.  Although, she now realizes the abuse did happen, she isn't able to remember the identity of her abuser.

Exploring these repressed memories has not been easy for Kendra.  She has the full support of her therapist, but feels her parents just don't understand.  Her mother is an artist more wrapped up in her art than in resolving her daughter's issues.  Kendra has always been close to her father, but the recent downsizing of his job has made it difficult for Kendra to feel able to share her pain with him.

Two things enable Kendra to cope - her new relationship with Meghan and cutting.  When the pressure builds, Kendra tries to seek release by confiding in Meghan, but when that isn't enough, she turns to her blade.  Hiding this addiction from those around her hasn't been a problem until now.  First Meghan discovers Kendra's dangerous obsession, and then her therapist Carolyn uncovers the truth.

As her therapy sessions advance and her relationship with Meghan deepens, Kendra realizes she is coming closer to recalling the identity of her abuser.  She wants to face the past, but remembered threats from her attacker and the presence of a mysterious stalker terrify Kendra.

Author Cheryl Rainfield takes readers into the mind of a teen coming to terms with a horrible past.  Rainfield is able to reveal the chilling memories of Kendra's early sexual abuse and allow the reader to imagine the horrors without using disturbing graphic detail.  Complications in Kendra's relationship with her mother, her desire to express herself through her art, and the acceptance of her own sexuality all combine to make this an emotion-packed read.

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