Published August 2009
Summary: Goodreads
Obtained: Borrowed from the library
An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant...
Before that morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature.
But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made — Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers.
After that morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.
Review:
WOW!! I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book after reading the summary. Being a new mom, the concept of this ever happening just seemed unfathomable. My curiosity got the best of me though and I started reading yesterday. I just couldn't seem to stop! Rarely do I find a book so raw that it had me yelling and cursing the characters, not sure whether to put the book down from frustration or to keep reading to see how it ends. I'm glad I kept reading.
For the first 50 pages I found myself so angry at Devon. She just seemed to be so 'out of it'. I couldn't believe how this event couldn't have affected her. Was she unintelligent? Brain damaged? How could someone be so disconnected and emotionally unavailable? The book continued and slowly peeled back layers of her defenses to truly understand her situation. Both the reader and Devon uncover the truth behind her story together. It's easy to read something and form your own judgements about the individuals involved. It's harder to admit that you formed your opinion without knowing the full story.
After was thought-provoking, emotionally charged and fast-paced. It receives a 'thumbs up' from me and I'll be on the lookout for more by Ms. Efaw. BTW, Amy Efaw mentions some interesting facts at the end of the book regarding the "Dumpster Baby" phenomenon. I highly recommend reading this as well. Tragic but fascinating.
No comments:
Post a Comment