The Friday56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Find a quote from page 56.
Summary of the book and a review to follow---
Book Beginning:
Friday 56:
Summary: Sadie and her younger sister, Mattie, are growing up in a small town, Cold Creek, alone. Their mother abandoned them to her drug addiction and there has never been a father in the picture. Sadie looks after her young sister as best she can, even dropping out of school to do so. But her best isn't enough to protect her sister from getting into a car with a stranger. When Mattie is found dead, Sadie's life crumbles and she goes on a mission to find her sister's killer. Sadie is sure she knows who did it based on what this man did to her when she was a young girl. When Sadie's car is found with her backpack inside, the police are sure she is just a runaway. Their surrogate grandmother doesn't believe that so after the police stop searching for Sadie, she contacts West McCray and asks him to continue to investigation for his podcast on life in small towns. The book beginning is West McCray setting the scene. The Friday56 quote is Sadie as narrator. The book uses different fonts to help the reader know who is talking. At this point in the story Sadie is on her search for her sister's killer in another small town which is a lot like her hometown.
Review: Sadie should come with a trigger-warning to teen readers since the man who Sadie is searching for is a pedophile. As the search progresses Sadie's story of survival opens up for the readers. Her reality is the stuff of nightmares. I was deeply moved by the book and was horrified that children have to live with such realities. This is not an easy book to read or to digest but it is a very important story. It is also well-written. I liked the way the book was formatted. West McCray interviews people as he searches for Sadie and those interviews are in transcript form. Sadie's side of the story is told in first person narrative making it even more impactful.
I listened to the audio version of Sadie and found myself completely wrapped up in the story, cheering Sadie on at every step and misstep. The book does not end as I wanted but the ambiguous ending left me with a sense of hope, if not for Sadie, then at least for other little girls in the future.
-ANNE
Sadie sounds like a powerful read. Thank you for the trigger warning. While I managed to make it through Lolita, I tend to stay away from books that deal with sexual abuse. Occasionally I make an exception if I think the book is worth it.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
I honestly didn't have any idea what the book was about until I got in the middle of it and I was shocked. It was well-done, though.
DeleteThis is one I really want to read! Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteSadie sounds excellent, but definitely a difficult book. I'm surprised that it didn't come with trigger warnings considering it deals with such sensitive issues.
ReplyDeleteCora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
Interesting review. This is a book I've seen around a lot. Maybe I'll pick it up at some point.
ReplyDeleteOh yes Sadie! I haven't seen this book around in a while! It reminds me that i need to read it! So glad you seemed to enjoy it. :)
ReplyDeleteI've seen so many people love this one! The quote from page 56 is really beautifully written, it makes me want to pick up the book myself.
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpts. I have this book on my Kindle. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I don't think I've seen this book before, but it sounds like a good one. Hope you have a great weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that reading this book is a disturbing exercise, but one that is well worth embarking upon. I think teens will relate to it.
ReplyDeleteI really like that description in this 56. One day I will have to check out the audio version of this one.
ReplyDeleteOh, this one was INTENSE. I was shocked at the ending.
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