FREE SINGS THE SEA: A YA Book Review by Guest Blogger, Ginger Dennison

Back in June, I posted Stacey Bartlett‘s cover reveal and author interview. Today guest blogger, Ginger Dennison, reviews this contemporary romance that deals with a tough topic: domestic abuse. FREE SINGS THE SEA (Monarch Educational Press, 2024) will make a thought-provoking gift to a special teenager in your life.

REVIEW

Picture a worst-case scenario.  Rural Carolinas, and an isolated single-wide trailer with mom, two daughters, and abusive step-father living frugally in cramped quarters.  The step-father is the sole bread winner, but drinks away much of what he earns.  

The best-case scenario is through the woods behind the trailer where resides a young man, employed and living in a picturesque log cabin with a barn and a corral, a large friendly dog, and a beautiful horse.  The young man is every girl’s dream.

The protagonist from the worst-case scenario is 18-year-old Shanna. This daughter keeps an injury journal as a record of the stepfather’s abuse of her mother.  Her 8-year-old sister and mother both suffer the emotional effects of living in this atmosphere.  Shanna feels responsible for taking them away from this toxic home situation but has no means or ideas for making it happen.  

The two scenarios intersect when Shanna, in her depression, runs deep into in the woods and stumbles into the young man’s yard and then runs way like a startled faun.  

One thing leads to another and Free, the symbolic name of the young man, is poised to become their savior.  

The turning point comes when the angry, inebriated father beats and chokes his wife.  After he leaves, Shannon runs to tell Free, who quickly spirits them away in his truck, with trailer, horse, and dog.  

The author describes the situation realistically and carefully.  There’s no gratuitous violence. The damage done, especially to the younger girl, is severely emotional.  Shanna and Free’s treatment of her trauma is sympathetic.  For example, the dog is allowed to travel with her as a big furry support system. Free teaches her to ride his horse and this soon provides her joy and relaxation.  Shanna, who has always found comfort in sketching, soon gets her sister interested also.  When they become more settled, they find a counselor who provides ways to help her overcome her fears.  As the story unfolds, the reader sees the way healing takes place in all of them.  

The family also has a certain trust in God, turning to him in prayer at points in the story. The author explicitly mentions her love for His Son, Jesus Christ, in her list of acknowledgments.

Shanna is in a likeable character and when her relationship with Free quickly escalates to an unspoken love, you are happy for both.  The love story has no bumps or bruises—that is not the focus of this story. Domestic violence and its effects is.  There are several pages at the back of the book that supply helpful information on domestic abuse and ways to find help. Food allergies are another issue touched on and information is also supplied on this topic.  

Any teenager struggling with abuse in their family would benefit from reading this book. It would give them hope.

Guest Blogger

Ginger Dennison is a retired second-grade teacher, a book and bird lover, a gardener, and my Bible Study leader. She is the proud mother of 4 sons and has 13 grandchildren. She was also my fun traveling companion to western Canada two summers ago. In this picture, we’re goofing it up in Vancouver at the A-Maze-ing Laughter Artwork.

The post FREE SINGS THE SEA: A YA Book Review by Guest Blogger, Ginger Dennison first appeared on Carol Baldwin - Author, Teacher, Speaker .