****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Assuming the author knows of which she speaks, this novel is hard to look at and impossible to put down. It will stay in my memory forever. The character of Joon is an amazing creation, imperfect but lovable and strong, and you can't stop rooting for her. Anyone who could go through what she did and still maintain the light of hope and self-love, that is the only thing that keeps any of us going, is admirable. SPOILER ALERT: This is more than just a book about child abuse. She does run away finally, and the awful degrading experience of being homeless is framed in the happy fact that it's better than what she had when she had a house to live in with a "family". Understanding that she's caked in dirt a lot and that she smells still didn't keep me from asking why some human being with a real life didn't offer to adopt her, because she is portrayed as a stunningly beautiful blonde haired, blue eyed young teen goddess. That should earn her something more than an extra quarter in her begging cup or a cup of coffee on a cold day.. On top of the looks she's also intelligent and draws deep sympathy from many people she meets.My only criticism of the book is that it's overly long. Around chapter 60 (yes, 60) the book loops in on itself and begins another long episode in her homelessness that virtually repeats the long episode that was just depicted and offers very little that's new. I found myself asking if the author was being paid by the word, because it that part seemed repetitive, boring and unnecessary. I almost quit.The potentially salacious aspect of a 13 year old girl selling her body on the streets is sanded down to the grim and ugly reality that it is, but I bet it will get some people to read this book that might not otherwise. It is interesting and fascinating and horrifying and almost funny at points.Excellent novel, but not light-hearted beach reading. Be prepared to squirm, Be prepared to cry.Highly recommended.
