Review Detail

The fact that author Cheryl Rainfield is a former cutter and an abuse survivor makes Scars even more chilling than it would have been otherwise. Kendra is a victim of sexual abuse but she has repressed her memory of her abuser. She does remember him telling her that he will kill her if she ever tells what happened. He is now stalking her as well, occasionally dropping off little "presents."

To ease the extreme emotional pain, Kendra, a talented artist, draws. Her drawings evoke the sharp emotions she is experiencing. She has also begun cutting. She must keep all of this a secret. Her life depends on it.

Her mother has always been critical of Kendra and her art. She talks to Kendra but doesnt listen. Her father shows her more love and does listen, but he cannot be an outlet for her. The only person Kendra feels comfortable talking to is her therapist, Carolyn, who listens and is not judgmental. Yet through her therapy sessions she still has not been able to discover the identity of her abuser.

To make matters worse, Kendra has fallen for Meghan, a girl with a myriad of problems of her own.

No one can predict how he or she will react being a victim of sexual abuse or the parent of an abused child. The adults in Scars run the gamut from distance to understanding to love; from judgmental to non-judgmental. Every character in Scars is as real as I would imagine them to be. Kendras emotion turmoil is so believableher frustration at not being able to remember her abuser vs. her fear to remember him; her questioning her own sanity as she hears footsteps (or imagines she hears them) following her home from school. Kendras elation with Meghan is a great juxtaposition with her sadness at her situation.

The pace of the story jumps between fast as Kendra runs away from her stalker to slow as she and Meghan enjoy a nice summer afternoon in the park.

Told in the first person, Scars by Cheryl Rainfield grips you from the page one. It is a great companion book to Cut by Patricia McCormick, also a must read, reviewed on this website. I cannot recommend these books enough.