Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

Review

This is an incredibly poignant and full-on piece of writing. Garrett doesn’t flinch before laying the cold bare truth on the table or pull any punches. She says it how it is and she wants you to hear it. This story about a young teenage girl who wants a boyfriends and to experience the sexual side of a relationship, although her parents would prefer she stay abstinent. That way she can’t accidentally pass on her acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

I have to note that I found the level of scrutiny and lack of privacy Simone’s parents give her is extreme, regardless of how worried they are about her. It is difficult enough to navigate the world of teenage angst without the added burden of a health condition everyone is scared of and parents who think it’s okay to suffocate instead of empower their child.

I found the level of research into the topic of living with AIDS admirable both overall and in the context of the main character, a young teenage girl. It’s described meticulously and in a way that makes sense to a layman and perhaps especially to a young reader.

Garrett confronts the invisible and yet very alive and kicking discrimination against people with AIDS and HIV. The fear that was sown and grown in the 80s, during the frightening pandemic which took many lives. Since those times medical research has come so far that an HIV or AIDS diagnosis isn’t automatically a death sentence, as it once was. A very fixed and rigid regime of medication will allow a person with said diagnosis to live a long life.

The author also takes readers into the world of white privilege and the institutionalised racism Simone is confronted with, and her world of secrecy. She is torn between staying under the radar and knowing that embarking upon a sexual relationship means disclosing her condition.

It’s a YA read, but it’s also one I recommend for readers of any age, mainly because this book will do a lot to allay irrational fears that still exist when it comes to this condition. Garrett has a strong voice she isn’t afraid to use and I look forward to reading more by her.

Buy Full Disclosure at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Penguin; pub date 31 Oct. 2019. Buy at Amazon comBuy at Hive.

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The Accident by C.L. Taylor

16199630

It might just be me, but I thought the husband Brian was a complete tosser. He wasn’t supportive,  he was condescending and in his own way abusive. When you make someone feel small, insignificant or make them feel as if they are losing their mind then that counts as emotional abuse in my book.

Brian is fully aware of her past, and instead of understanding her fears, flashbacks and insecurities he treats her as if she belongs in the loony bin. Her daughter is in a coma does he expect her to dance an Irish jig and throw a party? It is only natural for Sue to be emotionally distraught.

Sue knows deep down inside that something just isn’t right and she is determined to follow the niggling feeling of doubt all the way to the truth, whether the truth is good or bad. Everyone is so busy dismissing her gut instincts that no person is actually looking for the reason Charlotte chose to do what she did.

At the same time Sue experiences something nearly all parents of teenagers go through, realizing that their child has secrets from them and is in the process of building a path of independence, which ultimately usually leads to them leaving the nest. Finding out that your child not only has secrets is one thing; however finding out that those secrets might be endangering their life is another matter entirely.

I don’t think Sue understands how her past relationships have influenced her behaviour towards life and the people she loves. Her anxiety, fears and paranoia have been projected on to her daughter, ergo resulting in the daughter hiding things from her parents.

The Accident is actually a very realistic account of the repercussions of abuse even years after the abuse  has taken place. It is often always an underlying issue for those that have experienced it and can affect all future relationships and dynamics.

The story also sheds light on the fact that some abusers, especially in domestic abuse cases, never give up. Some of them perceive the abused to be their possession and will persevere in their destructive tactics till the bitter end. Often that end means death to the abused.

Society still doesn’t take that threat seriously enough, which statistics clearly show. If anything this story is a great way to enhance the fact that society, government, law enforcement and we the people should be doing more to help stop the abusers.

Far too often someone out there says ‘I think he (or she) is going to kill me one day’ and far too often that person is or was right. We need to listen to them before and not after the fact, when it is too late to save them.

Buy The Accident at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Read The Fear by C.L. Taylor

Read The Lie by C.L. Taylor