Whitney Award Nominee A Taut, Lyrical Thriller

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Some books are so difficult to describe, I don't even bother trying to write my own plot summary.  All the Truth That's In Me, a stark, riveting YA mystery by Julie Berry, is one of these.  So, let's start with the official back cover blurb:

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their village of Roswell Station.  Two years later, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family.

Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who's owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn't know it—her childhood friend, Lucas.

But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to make a choice: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith's passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

Although she's written half a dozen books, I'd never heard of Julie Berry until All the Truth That's In Me was nominated for a Whitney Award.  The novel's worthy of one, for sure.  It's well-written, tightly-plotted and uniquely told.  Our heroine—the very empathetic Judith—tells a harrowing tale, one that's full of mystery, sorrow, shame and, ultimately, redemption.  While the book is mostly clean, it's not an easy read. What is it, then?  How about surprising, disturbing, and absorbing?  I still had some questions by the end of the book, but overall, I found this one very satisfying.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and references to rape

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of All the Truth That's in Me from the generous folks at Penguin.  Thank you!