Gemma: a novel

I'll admit, when I received this book and noticed it was written by an actress trying to be a writer, I was a bit skeptical. However, I was quickly converted to a fan of Meg Tilly's writing.

This book touched me on a number of levels. First, as a mother of two young girls I was horrified by the events in Gemma's young life. Second, as a former school counselor, I was haunted by the possibility that something like this could be missed. Finally, as a human being, I was shaken to the core by the evil deeds perpetrated by Hazen Wood.

Meg Tilly masterfully captures the voice of both a 12 year old girl and a 36 year old male pedophile. This book is hard to read due to its disturbing content, yet I was instantly engrossed and could not put it show more down. Very well done. show less

This book is going haunt me for a long time. Gemma is such a strong and endearing character. You can't help but love her and hate Hazen for what he subjects her to. It's amazing that she can endure what she does and still never lose who she is. I loved that she didn't use her experience as an excuse, but strove to rise above it.

The deptictions of abuse are very graphic, but I really didn't feel that they were gratuitous. I felt that they made you truly identify with her and understand exactly what she went through. If they had been glossed over, I don't think I would have had such a connection with Gemma or such an intense realization about what she actually went through.

I would recommend this book to anyone, but would definitely warn show more them about the graphic nature. show less

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. 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. show more 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 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; show more 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

I found it difficult to get into this book at first because the subject matter is so disturbing. I started off reading just a few pages at a time and having to put down the book for a few days. I didn’t feel like being depressed and uneasy around Christmas…However, I would say the first half of the book is the worst, in terms of squeamish stuff.
What makes you want to read the book is Gemma’s attitude. I could not imagine being in her situation at all, but if I were, I don’t think I’d be able to handle it as well as she does. She certainly is amazing.
There are a few things about the book that bothered me – the constant reference to God, Gemma’s voice (which sometimes seemed really hill billy-ish (if you know what I mean), show more and other times, she used impressive vocabulary that didn’t seem to fit), and the predictability of the plot. I am happy to say that these things did not ruin the book for me. I still found it very interesting.
This book is good for anyone who thinks they can handle the graphic nature of the book. The book not only goes into detail with the rape scenes, but also uses a lot of vulgar language. If you think you can handle it, I suggest you read this book because it is important to realise that this stuff actually happens (the author herself was abused by 4 different men). We can't forget/ignore that. 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", 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 show more 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

I just started this book and am already thoroughly engrossed in it even though I haven't gotten too far yet.

In the first few paragraphs Gemma's voice seemed very real with its grammar, but as the chapter went on some of that didn't seem as consistent as before.

That said, I'm glad I won this book and will write more when I've finished it.

*****

Just finished the book. It was fabulous. I still take a little bit of issue with the fact that Gemma's grammar and voice was inconsistent, using words that seemed above the education she'd gotten so far. However, I was able to pretty well put that aside as I became more and more engrossed in the story.

Meg Tilly is able to capture what it takes Gemma to confront her abusers; I'm sure that's because show more she was telling aspects of her own story.

This is not an easy book to read at times, but at the risk of sounding trite, it shows the triumph of the human spirit in the face of horrendous odds. Highly recommended. show less