Meg Tilly

Haunting. Revulsive. Hopeful. Inciting. This book is not for the faint of heart. I like the character of Gemma (though I must admit to not particularly liking her name since I am never sure how to pronounce it and it sometimes tripped up the flow of my reading). I think the author did an amazing job of showing how such a young girl can have wild dichotomies of personality. Gemma has a sense of bravado, a coolness, an "above it all" ability to take her abuse without letting it destroy her. show more Yet she also has the sensibilities of a child, one who can be convinced by wicked adults that she is the one doing something wrong, that she might get in trouble, and her devoted attachment to her pet is heartbreaking. The scenes of abuse are graphic. I think in this case it was perhaps a necessary evil to show the depths of Hazen's depravity. However, I do think maybe there were more scenes, an overabundance of graphic details, than were necessary to tell the story. The author did a fine job of switching voices between the young girl and her abusers. And Gemma's mother...I hate her with a passion, but she was a well-drawn character. The whole thing, the knowledge that this is exactly the sort of thing that happens in the world, sickens me. enrages me, but I feel privileged to have been let in on Gemma's story. This one will affect the way I move in the world. From here on out I'll be paying closer attention, I won't be afraid to talk to little girls with haunted eyes. Maybe they need help, just like Gemma did, and I can't stand the thought of all those adults who just didn't notice her need... show less

It has been hard for me to write a review of this novel - I read it several months ago, and my visceral reaction to it remains strong, but I've had trouble putting that feeling into words. Gemma is a smart, tough, creative 12-year-old who we quickly learn has been regularly raped since age 8 by her mother's low-life boyfriend. At the beginning of the book he sells her for $100 to another child molester, Hazen Wood, who becomes obsessed and kidnaps Gemma, taking her on a cross-country abuse show more and torture spree.

The story is told from alternating points-of-view, first Gemma then Hazen, which adds an element of raw truth to Tilly's well-written prose. Gemma's voice is quiet, shy - she survives solely on the basis of her vivid imagination; Hazen, meanwhile, is violent and obsessed, and sick too - he alternates between hurting Gemma and wanting to comfort her. The descriptions of Gemma's abuse are graphic and horrifying; the awful glimpses into the mind of her abuser are terrifying too.

This book was hard to read, and impossible to put down. I give Tilly 5 stars, but caution the sensitive reader - the images depicted herein will not quickly fade. show less

When the employment agency sends Rachel Jones to work as an assistant for critically acclaimed film director Mick Talford, she has no idea that the young woman is actually heiress Sarah Rainsford, on the run from her abusive husband, police lieutenant Kevin Hawkins who wants only to get his hands on Sarah’s substantial inheritance. Somehow, Sarah always seems to find herself just one step ahead of Kevin; with this new position, she’ll be living on-site and, hopefully, far out of show more Kevin’s reach.

Mick Talford expects his new personal assistant to be a man; thus, Rachel’s appearance at his front door leaves him feeling a bit taken aback. He also finds himself strangely attracted to her and, despite his gruff and somewhat caustic attitude, the young woman sets about efficiently managing every task he requests her to handle.

But when Mick discovers that Rachel has been living a lie, will he push aside his growing feelings for her? Will Kevin finally track down and prehend Sarah? And will the trusted family lawyer find a way to free her from Kevin’s relentless pursuit?

The well-drawn-leading characters keep the pages turning in this difficult-to-set-aside thriller. There’s strong chemistry between Sarah and Mick, but the best parts of their story lie in their vulnerabilities, their shared truths, their delightful banter. Their relationship is believable, as are the steps they take to allow Sarah to reclaim her rightful identity and her inheritance.

The intriguing plot is relatively straightforward, filled with tension and the continually-building suspense related to Sarah’s never-far-behind husband. Astute readers may guess some of the unexpected plot points, but there are definitely some didn’t-see-that-coming surprises and the revelation of long-held secrets bring more surprises as the unfolding story manages to touch readers’ hearts.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program show less

Meg Tilly's Gemma is a hard book to read. The first hundred pages detail horrific sexual abuse of a 12 year old girl child, Gemma Sullivan, at the hands of her 37 year old pedophile kidnapper, Hazen Wood. Tilly alternates between the two voices, that of Gemma and that of Hazen, making the story personalized and all the harder to take. It is unrelenting. But just as I'm thinking I can't take any more, Gemma is rescued and we move into a new part of the story: healing, recovery, the "system", show more happy endings.

As difficult as it was to read about Gemma's abuse, as much as I felt overwhelmed and helpless, I appreciated Tilly's frankness. Here's why. Rape and torture, kidnapping and abuse happen all the time to women and children all over the world. We hear about one case or another, sometimes we hear about them escaping. But we never hear the details of their day-to-day life with their abuser. Intellectually we understand what took place. We can imagine it. Barely. But it is so heinous, we move on. We really don't want to think about it. Tilly forces us to. That's important because maybe if enough of us looked at it, more could be done to stop it. Maybe.

That all said, Gemma is a novel and as a novel I believe Tilly would have been more successful if she had taken more time with her writing. As difficult as it is for us to read, I'm sure it was more difficult for her to write. It is almost too raw. But I couldn't put the book down, even when I wanted to. And that says something. show less