Abomination (1998)

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com

Martha is bullied at school because of her clothes and introverted personality, but Scott is also new at this school, and feels sorry for Martha. Soon he, too, is being bullied by the other kids.

In ABOMINATION, the bad guys are a religious extremist group that encourages child abuse, dictates what its parishioners wear, and regulates how they behave. It is a condemning look at a religious faction in which the families do not have television, computers, or cell phones.

Twelve-year-old Martha is not allowed to have friends, and can never invite anyone to their house...they might learn of the actual Abomination that lives in the basement.

Her older sister, Mary, was expelled from the family at age 16 for bad behavior, and now sends an occasional post card to Martha, which is promptly torn up by their father, and then retrieved and saved by Martha. Though Martha is required to feed and care for the Abomination, the identity of this creature is not revealed until near the end of the book.

When Martha realizes what has actually happened with her sister, she and Scott decide to try to contact her, and the suspense kicks into high gear as the kids defy Martha's parents to right a terrible wrong.

Swindells has crafted a compelling novel that will keep you reading to the very last page. ( )

Yr 9 - Yr 10.
Martha is different. She longs to have friends and to be accepted by her class-mates. But her parents belong to a strict religious group. They have rules that mean no computers, no TV, no trendy clothes … and no friends. Martha also has a secret. Its name is Abomination and it must never be discovered. But when Scott makes friends with Martha, she has a choice to make. Should she tell him about her terrible secret? ( )

Very interesting story. Shows the danger posed by the over zealous religious fanatics on the defenceless and innocent. ( )