Scarred

Thursday night I sat down to begin reading Scars by Cheryl Rainfield and wound up finishing the 247 page book in one sitting.  It is a powerful and disturbing story about a young girl who cuts herself in order to cope with the pain of sexual abuse that began when she was only two years old and lasted until she was 12.  Kendra has managed to block out the face of her abuser in her mind for all of this time, but is starting to remember more and more of the abuse that ended just three years before.  She is a talented artist, and her artwork is beginning to expose her inner anguish.  She has also begun seeing a therapist to help her cope with the painful memories that are slowly creeping their way back into her mind.  To make matters worse, she is being followed by someone, and she suspects it is her abuser.  The graphic descriptions of the act of cutting and the infected wounds that it has caused are horrifying.  Kendra has managed to keep this act a secret from her therapist and everyone else in her life, but eventually confides in her trusted therapist.  Revealing her secret leads to a rollercoaster of events which ultimately unlocks the mystery of who her attacker is and helps her find closure. 

Kendra is a strong character towards whom I felt both compassion and admiration at different points in the story.  Her weak and apathetic mother is probably the least likeable character, well, that is except for the actual abuser, once he is exposed for who he really is.  He is a monster. 

There was a romantic element to the novel as well.  Kendra, who has known that she has been attracted to girls for some time, falls for the brave and beautiful Meghan.  Meghan, who was once a promiscuous party girl, feels the same way and provides strength and support for Kendra.  It is this relationship that I feel is the least realistic aspect of the story, and also sends a little bit of a troublesome message to young girls, in my opinion.  I am not referring to the fact that it is a lesbian relationship.  I thought that it was great that a book can have such a relatable and likeable protagonist who also just so happens to be a lesbian.  I just thought that the idea that a supermodel look-alike (Meghan) who has slept with half the boys in school would change her ways so suddenly and be so loyally devoted to Kendra was a bit unrealistic.  I also worried about Kendra relying so heavily on Meghan for emotional support and what would happen to such a fragile young woman if that relationship were to go wrong.  Teenage relationships are not typically the most stable.  I know many young women who seem to place so much of their self-worth upon their relationship status, I would have just preferred to have seen a heroine who could stand strong on her own and did not depend upon a girlfriend or a boyfriend. 

Either way, the book tells an important story that I would recommend to anyone, especially those of us who teach middle or high school and need to be aware of the warning signs of someone who has suffered from abuse.