The Space Within the Silence

From the Publisher:

Tess thought that going away to college would mean she could finally be free from her shattered childhood. That she wouldn’t have to see Ian anymore, the step-brother who sexually abused her. That she could keep space between herself and her mother, who Tess told about the abuse and who didn’t believe her. That she could finally build a life that she felt safe in.

My Thoughts:

As far as surviving abuse and trying to let go of rage stories go, this one is pretty good. It is definitely much better than The Way He Loved Me by Heather Tanti. I could not even finish or stomach that book. It was just unrealistic drama and mysogony. This story, at least is more realistic and subtle. Sometimes parents are not capable of protecting their children. Sometimes safety is not found at home. The characters are a little underdeveloped, verging on stereotypical, however, this is a short novel. The change in characters happens in a  two week span in order to close out this story and give it a nice little ending, so perhaps the characters need to be simple. 

What I really would have wanted, which I have seen in other YA novels recently is a referral to a national hotline or organization for readers to get help if they are in a similar dilemma. Perhaps the publishers included this on the final publication.

An  advanced copy provided by Net Galley and the publishers for an honest review.