All the Truth That’s In Me
FlumeAward – All the Truth That’s In Me All the Truth That’s In Me by Julie Berry
This is my review from Goodreads:
Judith hasn’t spoken since she returned to the village. Her tongue has been half cut out of her mouth, and her mother doesn’t allow her to speak. All she knows is that she still loves Lucas, even though she’s been living with his presumed-dead father for the past two years. When war comes to the village, Judith knows Lucas’s father can help, but this puts herself – and everyone she knows – in danger.
I was not expecting historical fiction when I started reading this book – the cover doesn’t imply it, nor does the description. At first, because the narrative is written in first person, addressing "you" – "you" being Lucas – it felt very much like Chime (a book I didn’t much care for). However, this read easier than Chime, and even though I had to re-read some sections in the beginning to figure out what was happening, soon everything became clearer. I thought I understood what had happened during those two years, but the ending managed to surprise me. The mystery kept me reading and wondering what had really happened to Judith.
–Katie Spofford, Wadleigh Memorial Library (Milford)
I agree with Katie’s review that I was not expecting historical fiction. It was a slow start for me, but I began to get more and more curious about Judith and what really happened to her. I found that I ended up with strong feelings for and against certain characters in the book, for instance Judith’s mother was a horrible woman, who I really did not enjoy. But there were other characters, like Maria, who I initially disliked, but changed my mind by the end. I enjoyed the ending of the book, wondering what would happen kept me intrigued until the end.
The way that the narrative is written is a bit confusing at first, but once you get in a few chapters, it becomes clearer and easier to understand. I have not read many of the other Flume nominees at this point, but to me this book does not seem strong enough to make the top 10. I will adjust my review if needed after I read more of the other nominees.
–Karen Abraham, Laconia High School Media Center
Historical fiction of an unspecified time or place (fictitious "Roswell Station," clearly northern enough that it snows in November).
Judith’s tongue was cut out after being held captive for years, and before being sent back to her home, only to find her father dead, her mother unforgiving and cruel, and her crush engaged to be married. Judith narrated her own story, flitting back and forth between her history and the present, without much indication, in a second person voice, addressing Lucas, the boy she loves. Though I found the story itself fairly interesting, and horrifying in so many ways, it was tedious to get through. I do not recommend it for the final list.
Kirsten Rundquist Corbett, Sandown Public Library