Tricky subjects, handled with warmth, honesty and compassion and woven into a compelling story about a girl overcoming some pretty horrendous challenges. Dani Moore is a survivor who is trying to rebuild her life and figure out how to be normal again. She tells her story in first person, in an intimately voiced journal. Marie Yates has constructed some really great strategies here, exploring the relationship between a rescued dog and Dani, who is determined not to let ‘victim’ become her story and identity.

It’s a book written with insight and empathy, squaring up to the issues of recovering after being attacked, but steadfastly refusing to offer details of abuse as entertainment. I really appreciated that. There’s no emotional pornography here, and a lot of sound, psychological advice threaded into the story. It’s a rare achievement to pull off a book that is helpful in these ways without being dull or preachy, but Marie Yates has done just that thing. It would be a good book to give to anyone (regardless of age, even if it is marketed as a book for teens) who is dealing with the aftermath of abuse, bullying or other violence.

Even if we don’t run into these issues personally, so awful are the stats around domestic abuse and bullying, and the stats for rape, that the odds are you’ll know someone who has been here. You may not know that you know. Having some sense of what it looks like from the other side, is really helpful.

(Nimue Brown)