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Thursday, March 10, 2016

5/5 Review: The Word Game by Steena Holmes




For overprotective parent Alyson Ward, any time her daughter, Lyla, is out of sight is reason to panic. So it’s a big step for her when she lets Lyla attend a sleepover at her cousin’s house. Comforted by the knowledge that her sister, Tricia, is the chaperone, Alyson does the one thing she never thought possible: she lets go and trusts that her daughter will be safe.
But Alyson’s sense of peace is short lived. When Lyla comes home the next morning, she reveals something that could tear apart not only their family but also the entire community. Now, Alyson and Tricia must confront their painful shared past as they come together to help a little girl who they fear might be harboring terrible secrets similar to their own. Will the sisters be strong enough to face their demons in order to protect the child, even if it means telling their most private truths?


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This story is told from the points of view of four different women. You have Alyson-she is a helicopter mom, than you have Tricia,Aly's sister who is more laid back in her parenting style, you also have Tricia and Aly's mom Ida who believes family problems stay in the family, last but not least there is Tricia's best friend Myah-who is soon to be divorced and a single mom again. All of these women have a story to share.

What would you do if you suspected that a child was being abused? What about, if you had been abused as a child and people may think its your paranoia?
All these questions I had while reading this book. And while I can't say that I have any answers, I have to admit that this has definitely got me thinking.
I would recommend this book to everyone. When an author can handle a difficult subject matter with such sensitivity, they are a very gifted writer. This novel touched my heart and could be the beginning for so many survivors.

The dynamics of this family are quite complicated. Their relationships are strained and there is obviously some painful issues in their past that they have not dealt with completely. Things that will affect how they each deal differently with what is happening right now. Like most of Holmes's previous books, this novel's real gift to the reader is the development of character. While the horizon of the story is relatively clear from the start, the plot is enhanced one hundred fold by the intricacies of the people about whom the story is written. Perhaps what I find most engaging about Holmes's work, and likewise this book, is that there is always at least one character with whom I can easily identify - making the reading of the text much more interesting.




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