Broken Ones / Sophia Martin

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Availability
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: YES Paper: NO
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Author:

Sophia Martin lives with her husband in the mountains of Northern California. She has another novel (The River and the Roses) and a short story (Veronica in Paris) which are also available for your favorite e-reader. She says that for some reason her stories always have a ghost. This one is no exception. For more, visit Martin’s blog.

Description:

After her abusive brother-in-law puts Louise in the hospital, she flees with her sister Marie, a nephew, and two nieces.

Appraisal:

It would be easy to second-guess some of the decisions made by the characters in Broken Ones. For example, choosing to flee, rather than seeking help from law enforcement and taking refuge at a shelter for victims of abuse. However, the reasons provided were compelling enough to convince me. As in many books (and real life), a few questionable decisions can snowball, which is what happens here.

The story gives us a glimpse inside the world of domestic violence and its fallout. The psychological implications of this – how it impacts decision making and the way people touched by this relate to the world around them – is something many of us have observed, but find hard to understand. Putting us in the middle through fiction might help our understanding. I’d certainly rather experience this vicariously than actually .

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars