Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2011/12/all-secret-things.html
All The Secret Things is the story of Emily. The above quote summarizes Emily's journey throughout the book. The book begins with Emily as a child and goes through her life as she becomes an adult with a family of her own. She experiences things no child should - neglect, abandonment, abuse. Throughout her journey, she also has people who seem to love her. She experiences the love, but it is overshadowed by the losses and the secrets. "All the secret things" are the secrets her family keeps about her parents' relationship and her birth.
Throughout this book, you feel for Emily and everything she suffers. It is also maddening that no adults in her life are able to protect her from neglect, abandonment, and abuse. It is a story of strong emotions. However, it feels like sometimes the book tries t***o hard. The situations in Emily's life are rather extreme, and it ends up being a little unbelievable that no one, not even those who love her, is able to stop them or even temper them. For some, justifications are given why nothing is done. However, the characters seem to embody one main character trait and not develop throughout the book. As such, the justifications ring untrue.
The secrets of Emily's life are about her birth. The secrets are revealed as the book nears its end. However, at that point, the book is more about her life experiences and her suffering. As a reader, the secrets do not seem to matter. What matters is how Emily is able to survive her childhood.
***Reviewed for Library Thing Member Giveaway Program***
All The Secret Things is the story of Emily. The above quote summarizes Emily's journey throughout the book. The book begins with Emily as a child and goes through her life as she becomes an adult with a family of her own. She experiences things no child should - neglect, abandonment, abuse. Throughout her journey, she also has people who seem to love her. She experiences the love, but it is overshadowed by the losses and the secrets. "All the secret things" are the secrets her family keeps about her parents' relationship and her birth.
Throughout this book, you feel for Emily and everything she suffers. It is also maddening that no adults in her life are able to protect her from neglect, abandonment, and abuse. It is a story of strong emotions. However, it feels like sometimes the book tries t***o hard. The situations in Emily's life are rather extreme, and it ends up being a little unbelievable that no one, not even those who love her, is able to stop them or even temper them. For some, justifications are given why nothing is done. However, the characters seem to embody one main character trait and not develop throughout the book. As such, the justifications ring untrue.
The secrets of Emily's life are about her birth. The secrets are revealed as the book nears its end. However, at that point, the book is more about her life experiences and her suffering. As a reader, the secrets do not seem to matter. What matters is how Emily is able to survive her childhood.
***Reviewed for Library Thing Member Giveaway Program***
