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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Hurricane Public Library | GAR | Young Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
The daughter of Appalachian snake handlers becomes a ward of the state after her eerie "gift" causes a tragedy that leaves her orphaned. Bram Stoker Nominee, Speak No Evil named #14 in Ginger Nuts of Horror's Top 100 YA Horror Novels of the Last Decade. "Ultimately this is a novel about real life horror; abuse, overcoming it, and the resilience of Melody Fisher as she slowly, with a lot of help, turns her life around." ~Ginger Nuts of Horror "Melody's story is grim, but hope is weaved in throughout ... highly emotional." ~School Library Journal Compelling, gripping, and evocative, Speak No Evil is a study in personality development, horror, how support systems for teens can either succeed or fail, and the impact a caring adult can have on a teenager's life." ~Midwest Book Review What if every time you told the truth, evil followed? My name is Melody Fisher. My daddy was a snake handler in Appalachia until Mama died. Though years have passed, I can still hear the rattle before the strike that took her from me. And it's all my fault. Since then, I've been passed around from foster home to foster home. I didn't think anything could be as bad as losing Mama. I was wrong. But I will not speak of things people have done to me. Every time I do, worse evil follows. Now, the only thing I trust is what saved me years ago. Back when I would sing the snakes calm ... WARNING: This book contains situations of violence and sexual abuse/rape which the reader may find disturbing. * * * "Expect a paranormal twist, spooky mountain folklore, rattlesnake handling and much soul searching as Melody makes peace with herself--and the trauma she has endured." ~Girls' Life Magazine "... a touching tribute to the power of love." ~IndieReader Liana Gardner named to the Ginger Nuts of Horror 30 YA Authors You Should Know List
Author Notes
Liana Gardner is the multi-award-winning author of the Misfit McCabe series, 7th Grade Revolution, and The Journal of Angela Ashby. The daughter of a rocket scientist and an artist, Liana combines the traits of both into a quirky yet pragmatic writer and in everything sees the story lurking beneath the surface. Engaged in a battle against leukemia and lymphoma, Liana spends much of her time at home, but allows her imagination to take her wherever she wants to go. She fostered her love of writing after reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and discovering she had a great deal in common with the character Jo. The making up of stories, dramatic feelings, and a quick temper were enough for her to know she and Jo would have been kindred spirits. Liana volunteers with high school students through the International Trade Education Programs (ITEP). ITEP unites business people and educators to prepare students for a meaningful place in the world of tomorrow. Working in partnership with industry and educators, ITEP helps young people "think globally and earn locally." www.LianaGardner.com www.SpeakNoEvilNovel.com
Reviews (1)
Kirkus Review
A mute teenager needs to find her voice in order to testify in her own self-defense.At age 15, Melody is arrested for stabbing Asheville, North Carolina, high school sports sensation Troy Alexander. Melody, who's in foster care, hasn't spoken in two years and is court-ordered to attend daily sessions with a therapist. Melody eventually begins to respond through music. In alternating chapters that switch between third- and first-person, Melody tells stories from her past, starting with hunting rattlesnakes with her Cherokee father for her mother's family to handle in church. After Mama dies from a snakebite, Daddy disappears. Melody ends up with a foster family where she's repeatedly raped. At 14 she has semiconsensual sex with a boy who publicly humiliates her, and then, already mute, she's raped again. While Melody endures horrific ordeals, shedding light on the plight of vulnerable young people, the nature of the writing does a disservice to this serious topic. The language used to describe the sexual assaults is likely to be severely triggering to sexual assault survivors. The jumbled timeline requires extraordinary patience from the reader, and the characterization mostly tells, not shows, rendering characters two-dimensional and making the ending overly pat. The musical verses don't convey the strong emotion they're clearly intended to, and elements of mountain folklore and magical realism feel misplaced. The book defaults to white, although Melody's mother and uncle are half-white and half-black, and colorism pervades the story. The Cherokee characters invoke stereotypes around Native mysticism.Not recommended. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
