Living Dead Girl is quite the controversial book if you take a look at the online reviews from amazon.com and goodreads.com. It is just so brutal. I had no idea what it was about when I got it. It was on some list some place, I guess, which is why I put it on hold, but when it came in, I had not recollection of what it was about, but I had nothing else to listen to and so I put it in the cd player in the car.
Living is a relentless, punishing, well written, first person account of a girl who was abducted at age 10 and forced to be the slave, sexual and otherwise, of a vicious man known as Ray.
I can't say I liked this book because there was no redemption to be found. It was like Boys Don't Cry or Monster. They were true stories. This could be a true story, I mean, things like this happen. We just don't want to think about them happening. I don't know...I don't think I could recommend this to anyone. I am not sure who would enjoy it. Or why it is important to read it. Like I can see why it is important to know the story of Brandon Teena, so that stuff like that doesn't happen to people like him, but like I am not sure why we need to know this story. It seems like it is kind of a sick voyeuristic kind of deal. As I get days away from it, I get even more creeped out by it. I don't know...I guess this is another one that I wish someone would read so that I could talk about it!
If we judge a book by how much it gets under our skin, then this would be one excellent book. It truly is unforgettable. It is certainly well written, and compels you to keep going even though it is horrific and unsettling. I agree that it is a hard one to recommend but I still think it has merit. I know it has changed how I have behaved in certain situations (I have been more assertive instead of being polite to people in a situation where I felt uncomfortable), and it has led me to have a good discussion with my pre-teen daughter. I kept thinking of how awful it would be for anything like to happen to my kids and got so angry!
ReplyDeleteWhere I think it hits the mark is in allowing the reader to get inside the emotions of a victim and realize that we can't blame the victims, and that even the abusers are most likely victims, too, in the cycle of violence. This would be a great book for anyone working with victims of violence or abuse. As far as redemption, I can see what you mean. But I was just thankful that the girl was able to have that merciful end, because I didn't see how she would be healed and able to live a life of peace in any way.