Book Shelf: All the Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years later, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by her friends and family.

Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to her childhood friend, Lucas. He is the boy who has owned her heart for as long as she can remember - even if he doesn′t know it.

But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose - to continue living in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

Told in a voice that is achingly raw and intimate, this remarkably original novel will haunt and stay with you. It will fill you with Judith′s passion and longing, and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last one.

More info on Goodreads......


Review:

As a reader, there are rare times in one's life when you come across a book that changes you. Often unexpected, it's story manages to reach down into a deep, inner part inside you and wretch your emotions apart with it's haunting depth and beauty....All The Truth That's In Me is one of those books.

Having recently finished Julie Berry's stunning novel All The Truth That's In Me, I'm not really sure what to think. Or to say. Or even where to begin. This book is so far out of my comfort zone it's beyond ridiculous and yet I don't think I have the words to ensure my review does it justice. Nothing I could write would even come close to describing the unexpected brilliance and beauty, I personally, found within it's pages. This story is on another level entirely.

Written in rare second person and told in short, brief chapters All The Truth That's In Me is in no way my normal read. Admittedly, I experienced a brief difficulty getting into it in the very beginning due to the brief flashes into past experiences that I found confusing, but after this initial confusion I honestly found myself swept up into our protagonist Judith's haunting story. Author Julie Berry has done a terrific job with this historical novel. I feel wrecked having read it. There were so many moments when I felt torn apart, broken, an emotional wreck and yet I feel better having read it.

Understandably there are going to be people out there hesitant to read this book due to it's themes and the strong issues it explores, but All The Truth That's In Me is so much more than it seems. It's dark subject matter leads to a really unexpected read. Judith's story is agonizing; agonizing to read, heart wrenching at times to experience. And so incredibly beautiful.

As this book progressed, I felt more for Judith at times than I think I've felt for a main character in a long, long time. Possibly ever. Her voice is so incredibly raw and her emotions bleed through the pages. You simply can't not feel her pain and agony. Her loneliness and heartbreak take on a life of it's own and the broken, damaged way she, and others, view herself will break you. Seeing her pine for the one she thinks she can never have but still ultimately loves is so incredibly emotional.

The journey Judith goes on throughout this story is inspiring. Watching her find the strength to overcome what was taken from her and for her to want to better herself really does touch something in you. Seeing small acts of kindness for her from people in a village where the majority scorn and ridicule her; often seeing her as stupid and nothing is amazing to witness.

So, in saying how emotionally torn apart this book left me at times, it also stitched me back together. I was glued to this novel, frantically turning pages and amazed by the beauty I found in this story. Our protagonist goes though so much and as you see what it has done to her and the impact it's had on her, seeing the happy, fitting things she experiences towards the end of the novel just gives it so much more meaning.

Julie Berry takes you right into Judith's head with All The Truth That's In Me. Her voice is haunting and pain filled and as the story progresses and truths come to light, All The Truth That's In Me proves to be one of those stories that stays with you always. Despite having turned the final page, I find that Judy's story still lingers with me and I'm still lost in it's painful beauty.

Without a doubt a MUST read of 2013, All The Truth That's In Me is haunting, tragic and completely unforgettable!

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by Harper Collins Australia (Thank you SO much!)
Format: Paperback ARC
Buy it: Bookworld | The Nile | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Recommendation: Haunting, beautiful and unexpected, this book is a MUST READ!
Cover: I actually really like it. It's fitting for the time and period of the story.
Will I read sequel/continue with series: This is a stand alone, but I look forward reading more of Julie Berry's writing!