Our Little Secret by Allayne Webster
I really hate reading these books. I know that they are important, and it may be a way in which a damaged child finds the courage to seek help, but sorry I still hate reading them.
Ed (short for Edwina) is a fourteen year old girl growing up in a small town. It seems that she knows everybody, there can be no surprises. But then her best friend’s sister is raped. The town gossips, including Ed’s insensitive mother, go on about how she ‘asked for it.’ Ed is left confused and uncomfortable, watching as Anne-Marie suffers. And then Ed’s father’s best friend Tom starts paying a lot of attention to her. At first she is excited by the attention, almost as if a schoolgirl crush is coming true. She finally has a chance to rehearse all those skills she has been reading about in Dolly. But when things go too far, Ed is left frightened, and alone, remembering what was said about Anne-Marie, she keeps the secret and the sense of guilt nearly destroys her.
This book certainly has a predictable plot. No one in touch with the media reports and child safety notices could fail to predict the plot. But the power of this book is not in the action but the strength of writing of the characters. Ed is one of the most realistic young adults in literature that I have read about in a very long time. Webster has accurately caught the jumble of emotions that young teens feel, often all at the same time.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate the book. I just hate the fact that such books need to be written. Very simply, it is too close to the truth for comfort.
