Review of Silenced by Raebeth McGee-Buda

Raebeth McGee Buda was born in Southwestern Pennsylvania.  She graduated from American Intercontinental University and enjoys spending her time writing.  Silenced, her first novel was published under her maiden name but she plans on writing under her married name for future works.

I have been meaning to read Silenced for a very long time, indeed I bought a physical copy a few months ago however every time I have gone to pick it up, I have always been distracted by something else.  I finally took it with me yesterday to the hospital as I knew I would be in for a long wait whilst my mam underwent her chemotherapy and I read the entire book in one sitting.  It is a quick read, all in all I think it took me around two hours and I was hooked and pulled into Amber Brown’s world from the very beginning.

I am extremely glad that the author chose to write this book in first person narrative because to have written it in third person would have been a crime! I LOVE books where I am sucked into the head of the main character.  I like to feel what they are feeling, think what they are thinking, smell what they are smelling…You get my drift!  Amber Brown is a very confused and dare I say, disturbed young woman and this is very much the story of her struggling to find love and acceptance as much as it is about her self-harming or “cutting” as the she succinctly describes it. The novel is multi-layered and all of the characters are extremely well rounded and thought out and the author successfully shows other view points whilst always telling it through Amber’s eyes.  I was particularly drawn to her mother, who has secrets and issues of her own and whose actions, even though unintentional, have contributed to Amber’s current state of mind.

The scenes where both Amber and her mother and step father are all trying yet failing to successfully communicate and their knee jerk reactions to situations were so strikingly familiar that they were heartbreaking.  I have no doubt that whilst the story is told through the eyes of a disturbed teen this book will resonate with readers of every age.  The book ends on a cliffhanger and I am extremely pleased that I have already downloaded book two and hopefully it won’t be too long before I get a chance to read it!

My only caviat/problem with this book is the presentation.  It needs fully aligning/justifying and on a few occasions text starts mid-way down the page.  The pages also need to be numbered.

Presentation aside, this book is an absolutely compelling read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

You can find the author at the following places:

http://www.facebook.com/raebethbuda

http://raebethmcgeeswriting.blogspot.com/