Four years ago, Judith and her best friend Lottie
disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only
Judith returned, mutilated. Instead of being welcomed by her family and
community, Judith is ostracized and mistreated. She silently pours 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.
In fact the entire book is written as if Judith is speaking to
him (2nd person POV). The “you” is always Lucas. The chapters of the
book are no longer than a page or two, and most are shorter than that. The
editor describes the way the story is told as "a
pinhole narrative - you start out looking through a tiny hole that allows you
to see only a fraction of Judith's world, and as the story goes on, the pinhole
widens" Although the book is rather dark, the language used is almost poetic.
I would not have guessed by the cover, but All the Truth that’s in
Me takes place in what appears to be
colonial America (it's never explicitly stated). The reader finds characters
that really come to life, and you end up either loving or hating them.
Throughout all the mystery and secrecy there is a beautiful love story between Judith
and Lucas. And although the truth may hurt many, at the end, it finally come
out.
Check out the following links to read more about All the Truth that's in Me and see other's reviews.
6 comments:
This book seems pretty interesting, especially with your short description at the beginning. What happened to Lottie?!? And how is Judith mutilated? What's wrong with her family and community that they DON'T care?? But from what you described, this book seems pretty interesting and kind of scary at the same time. What time period is it set in? I really like the idea of how the book is told as a poetic narrative. I think that may make it easier to comprehend since its in that point of view. From looking at some of the links you shared with us, the tumblr gifs seem pretty creepy but in a good way that would bring readers in. Even I am fascinated with it! From reading up a little more on the book, I wonder how teachers or parents would feel about this book being in school. I feel like it would best fit for pleasure reading rather than academic, which is fine, I'm just saying. Very interesting book review.
Hey Sarah! I actually wanted to read this book for the class but you got it before me! I do plan on reading it over the summer and your review has me more interested on reading it. It seems to be a good book for teens to read but for outside of the classroom. I can't see this book being taught in class. What do you think since you have read the book?
This seems like a very interesting story from an interesting perspective. I would have liked to know what you thought about the story and what you thought could have improved the story. What about this book makes it good for young adults and what can you get out of it.
Thanks for your comments ladies. I'm not sure this book would fit well into a classroom. It has the "who dunnit" appeal with little twists that I enjoyed. I think if a teacher wanted to use it in the classroom, she or he could highlight the language and flow of events. If time allows, you all should check it out.
I'm really curious about the structure of the novel, I've never really read anything in 2nd person before other than instruction manuals. What tense is the book written in?
You did a really great job of piquing interest and I think that this book will be something that we as teachers will be able to use for many reasons. The one that strikes me right now is for the easy access to historical context, which is particularly relevant with the implementation of the Common Core.
Hi Laura-
It's written almost as a letter to Lucas. For example, she would say, "You came to the door, but Mother would not let you in..." (not an exact quote)
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